as in insulting
intended to make a person or thing seem of little importance or value
demanded an apology for his demeaning comments
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in degrading
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in humiliating
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 behaving
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 demeaning
Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 30 Mar. 2026
To emphasize that new technology can’t change bad behavior, Josh mirrors many of the same demeaning and destructive traits of showrunner Paulie G (Lance Barber), the antagonist of Seasons One and Two.
—Jennifer Silverman, Rolling Stone, 29 Mar. 2026
Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2025
And Max will not stop demeaning him.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demeaning
Adjective
The epitome of narcissism, demeaning and denigrating others upon their deaths (John McCain, Rob Reiner) who’ve displeased him is nothing new, but the Mueller post sinks to a new low.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 30 Mar. 2026
To emphasize that new technology can’t change bad behavior, Josh mirrors many of the same demeaning and destructive traits of showrunner Paulie G (Lance Barber), the antagonist of Seasons One and Two.
—Jennifer Silverman, Rolling Stone, 29 Mar. 2026
Verb
Like me, Tommy would have looked to the culture around him to learn the language of demeaning women.
—Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2025
And Max will not stop demeaning him.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demeaning
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demeaning
Adjective
-
For filmmakers who view their individual work as the center of gravity, this can sit somewhere between confusing and insulting.—
Dana Harris-Bridson,
IndieWire,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Survivors rejected the offer, calling it insulting.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Cotton also gets softer with every wash instead of pilling or degrading — a durability advantage synthetic blends can’t match.—
Allison Palmer,
Sacbee.com,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Amnesty International has said that the use of the death penalty under the new measure could violate the right to life and the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, as enshrined in international law.—
Julia Frankel,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The announcement of the 34-year-old Eta’s appointment prompted sexist and derogatory comments on social media, leading Union to push back.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Some incels use the term in a derogatory fashion, believing those who aspire to ascension are delusional.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Benjamin Parris, also 19, of Greenville, South Carolina, is charged with two counts of malicious destruction of property of $1,000 or more but less than $20,000 and two counts of conspiracy to commit malicious destruction of property of $1,000 or more but less than $20,000.—
Joseph Buczek,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Instead of using obvious malicious code, the attackers built the installer with legitimate tools and layered the attack in stages.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
While Trump’s talk of a possible NATO pullout dates back years, the comments to The Telegraph newspaper in the U.K., published Wednesday, were among the clearest and most disparaging yet — suggesting that the fracture has deepened perhaps to a point of no return.—
Jill Lawless,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The irony is that Trump has been more disparaging and dismissive of the military than any other president.—
Joe Garofoli,
San Francisco Chronicle,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
But even though abusive relationships tend to form tragic patterns, honesty isn’t all that’s necessary for a good narrative, and this one proves repetitive.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Dane on the show stars as Nate’s (Jacob Elordi) abusive father, who in the first season met Hunter Schafer’s Jules — a transgender teenage girl and classmate of Nate’s — on a hookup app.—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
British writers’ disdainful accounts of the Rathayatra led, metonymically, to a pejorative sense of a juggernaut as a massive crushing vehicle, which was later extrapolated to its present meaning in English usage.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
31 Mar. 2026
-
But even scholars often employ the term as a pejorative, used to describe authoritarian government.—
David A. Graham,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Neither party admitted to liability and each agreed to refrain from making disparaging, negative or uncomplimentary statements about the other, the document said.—
Lorraine Mirabella,
Baltimore Sun,
29 July 2022
-
Though the pollen gunk will pass, he's concerned by a contingent of Twitter trolls who've shared uncomplimentary reviews of his recent North American tour.—
Jordan Runtagh,
PEOPLE.com,
21 Jan. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Demeaning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demeaning. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
