demoralize
verb
de·mor·al·ize
di-ˈmȯr-ə-ˌlīz 
ˌdē-,
-ˈmär-
demoralized; demoralizing; demoralizes
1
: to cause to turn aside or away from what is good or true or morally right : to corrupt the morals of
2
a
: to weaken the morale of : discourage, dispirit
were demoralized by the loss
b
: to upset or destroy the normal functioning of
foreclosures were further demoralizing an already desperate real-estate market—
F. D. Roosevelt
F. D. Roosevelt
c
: to throw into disorder
Examples of demoralize in a Sentence
the mere sight of the forbidding cliffs demoralized the climbers
we refused to be demoralized by our humiliating defeat and vowed to come roaring back the following week
Recent Examples on the Web
Such was the importance placed on the tree for mobilizing resistance that in 1775, it was cut down by British soldiers to demoralize the revolutionaries.
—Ellen Walker, JSTOR Daily, 3 Sep. 2025
The departures leave a leadership void that, according to current and former CDC officials, has demoralized the agency’s staff and will further undermine its ability to provide reliable guidance to Americans.
—Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2025
Watching what’s unfolding around us can be demoralizing.
—Stacey Abrams, Time, 28 Aug. 2025
Stringent management of the PLA and the relentlessness of Xi’s anticorruption campaign is probably both humiliating and demoralizing for senior officers.
—Jonathan A. Czin, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demoralize
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Ellen Walker, JSTOR Daily, 3 Sep. 2025
The departures leave a leadership void that, according to current and former CDC officials, has demoralized the agency’s staff and will further undermine its ability to provide reliable guidance to Americans.
—Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2025
Watching what’s unfolding around us can be demoralizing.
—Stacey Abrams, Time, 28 Aug. 2025
Stringent management of the PLA and the relentlessness of Xi’s anticorruption campaign is probably both humiliating and demoralizing for senior officers.
—Jonathan A. Czin, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demoralize
Cite this Entry
“Demoralize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/demoralize. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
demoralize
verb
de·mor·al·ize
di-ˈmȯr-ə-ˌlīz
-ˈmär-
1
: to make bad or evil
2
: to weaken in spirit or discipline
fear demoralized the army
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