1
as in to degrade
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
it demeans the political process to demand that candidates make promises that everyone knows are unrealistic
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to humiliate
to reduce to a lower standing in one's own eyes or in others' eyes
his statement was not meant to demean the group's hard work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to behave
to manage the actions of (oneself) in a particular way
I shall endeavor to demean myself with utmost respect when our pastor comes to visit
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of demean
Letters To The Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 May 2026
Inspectors documented staff using demeaning language, displaying extremist imagery, and engaging in conduct that violated the Bureau’s own standards.
—
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2026
But demeaning our brand through association with vulgar demagogues is a losing strategy.
—
Alma Hernandez,
New York Daily News,
1 May 2026
But this seems to Miss Manners both demeaning and not guaranteed of success.
—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for demean
Verb
Racists dismissed them as lesser beings, demeaned them and made life hard for all people of color — whites-only facilities and hard jobs.
—
Letters To The Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 May 2026
Inspectors documented staff using demeaning language, displaying extremist imagery, and engaging in conduct that violated the Bureau’s own standards.
—
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2026
But demeaning our brand through association with vulgar demagogues is a losing strategy.
—
Alma Hernandez,
New York Daily News,
1 May 2026
But this seems to Miss Manners both demeaning and not guaranteed of success.
—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for demean
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demean
Verb
-
When temperatures rise, heat can quietly degrade pantry staples, making refrigeration essential to preserve quality and flavor.
-
If leaders are not present and actively developing people, the system degrades—quietly at first, then all at once.
Verb
-
Israel must leave humiliated and defeated — and that is exactly what will happen.
-
Instead of demanding personal fealty or humiliating them to assert personal dominance, Lincoln absorbed their egos and occasional slights, elevating their talents and turning his fiercest political adversaries into his most devoted champions.
Verb
-
Being a pro athlete doesn’t exempt you from behaving respectfully in society.
-
But Dumont wanted to look beyond insects to find out know how the spindle behaves in mammalian cells like ours.
Verb
-
Vcg | Visual China Group | Getty Images BEIJING — China’s consumer spending slowdown persisted in June, with growth during one of the country’s largest online shopping festivals weakening sharply from a year earlier.
-
All three of those protagonists have been weakened in their roles by what has gone on.
Verb
-
Instead, they are encouraged to view blue zones primarily through the lens of a sloppy critique that has already been discredited.
-
This doesn’t discredit the fact that mental and physical changes from menopause can be disorienting and jarring.
Verb
-
Just assume that any animal is going to carry disease, and rabies is one of them.
-
Fujimori’s presidency marks a return of her family’s political brand to Peru’s highest office — a movement that has long carried a complicated relationship with the United States.
Verb
-
Some of that sentiment reflects the fact that the president and those around him subvert the rule of law, decency, and democratic restraints.
-
The Sedition Act of 1918, which subverted the Bill of Rights, imposed penalties for anti-government expression.
Verb
-
On Wednesday, a Wayne County jury acquitted Hamtramck City Councilmember Mohammed Hassan of both felony counts of election law forgery and forging a signature on an absentee ballot application.
-
In a dissenting opinion, a member of the panel, Andi Saputra, argued that there was not enough evidence and Marakim should be acquitted.
Cite this Entry
“Demean.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demean. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
