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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of demeaning
Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 11 June 2025
The comments in screen shots of the chat room were demeaning and vulgar – as were the texts from the anonymous messenger who had sent her the images.
—Yoonjung Seo and Mike Valerio, CNN Money, 25 Apr. 2025
Here’s hoping that the rude and demeaning comments Kardashian received don't discourage her—or other celebrity parents—from sharing their breastfeeding journeys.
—Melissa Willets, Parents, 5 May 2025
Her caricature-like depictions of blonde bombshells and sorority girls poke fun at the demeaning stereotypes and labels ascribed to women.
—Jessica Ourisman, Forbes.com, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demeaning
Adjective
Being high and coerced into this demeaning lifestyle.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 11 June 2025
The comments in screen shots of the chat room were demeaning and vulgar – as were the texts from the anonymous messenger who had sent her the images.
—Yoonjung Seo and Mike Valerio, CNN Money, 25 Apr. 2025
Here’s hoping that the rude and demeaning comments Kardashian received don't discourage her—or other celebrity parents—from sharing their breastfeeding journeys.
—Melissa Willets, Parents, 5 May 2025
Her caricature-like depictions of blonde bombshells and sorority girls poke fun at the demeaning stereotypes and labels ascribed to women.
—Jessica Ourisman, Forbes.com, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demeaning
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demeaning
Adjective
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And then, especially in the past several years, friends who stayed say: Honestly, this is kind of insulting—the way people keep talking about Lebanon from afar.—
Sahar Delijani
July 17,
Literary Hub,
17 July 2025
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The deliberate and insulting call-out immediately sent the wrestling world into a frenzy.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 July 2025
Adjective
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The result is an altering of the model weight by a whopping 216, degrading model accuracy from 80 percent to 0.1 percent, said Gururaj Saileshwar, an assistant professor at the University of Toronto and co-author of an academic paper demonstrating the attack.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
14 July 2025
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Another study in Frontiers in Neuroscience found that even moderate, chronic sleep restriction produces cumulative effects, subtly degrading decision quality and emotional regulation over time.—
Julian Hayes II,
Forbes.com,
10 July 2025
Adjective
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After America voted to pair Brown with the new bombshell, Iris Kendall, Mustafa erupted into a tantrum that involved crying, screaming across the villa and calling Brown derogatory names.—
Giana Levy,
Variety,
17 July 2025
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But fans quickly drew a connection between Ortega's unexpected departure and the calls from viewers for her removal after the discovery of past social media posts that included the use of a derogatory term referencing the Asian community.—
Mekishana Pierre,
EW.com,
16 July 2025
Adjective
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Cybercriminals often scan inactive IP ranges, using them for various malicious activities.—
Vincentas Grinius,
Forbes.com,
1 Aug. 2025
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How the Facebook crypto scam works Bitdefender Labs reports that a malicious ad campaign has been running on Facebook for several months.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Living the Values: Nothing is more disparaging for employees than having a leader who demonstrates behaviors that do not align with the organizational values, and no one seems to care.—
Tony Gambill,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
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The 2023 Economic Report Of The President published in March of 2023 was relatively disparaging of cryptoassets and DLTs.—
Lawrence Wintermeyer,
Forbes,
5 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The women's arrests uncovered a pattern of abusive teaching by Hildebrandt, and confirmed growing suspicions of critics who long questioned Franke’s strict parenting style on her popular 8 Passengers family vlogging page on YouTube.—
Sean Neumann,
People.com,
28 July 2025
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Christopher McDonald, as Happy’s nemesis Scooter McGavin, and Ben Stiller, as abusive orderly Hal L, have also returned.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
26 July 2025
Adjective
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In fact, locals use a different (and pejorative) term for the other versions: arroz con cosas, or rice with things.—
Sofia Perez,
Forbes.com,
10 July 2025
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Stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni is insulting because a macaroni was a pejorative term used to describe a fashionable man with feminine traits of 18th-century Britain.—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
2 July 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Demeaning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demeaning. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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