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
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
Had the supporter unloaded some scathing abuse, said something demeaning about his appearance, or insulted his family, such a reaction would have been warranted.
—Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demeaning
Adjective
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
Had the supporter unloaded some scathing abuse, said something demeaning about his appearance, or insulted his family, such a reaction would have been warranted.
—Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demeaning
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demeaning
Adjective
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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
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Conversations revealed an ongoing dialogue that was not only deeply insulting to Read, but morally offensive to women broadly.—
Gemma Allen,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2025
Adjective
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Remember, too, that placing the plastic ID tags that come with your plant near its base isn’t a great solution; they get lost and break easily, and the degrading plastic isn’t good for the health of your soil.—
Mike Irvine,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 June 2025
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Utilities can ask similar questions about households with pool pumps or those that show signs of inefficient or degrading appliances.—
Abhay Gupta,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
Adjective
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That post used a derogatory term that historically originated as an insult against Chinese people but is often used more generally toward East Asians.—
Doha Madani,
NBC news,
10 July 2025
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More: Officials rename 28 places in Wisconsin that had names derogatory to Indigenous women.—
Frank Vaisvilas,
jsonline.com,
9 July 2025
Adjective
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The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
10 July 2025
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Deepfakes have been growing more sophisticated in recent years, in addition to being increasingly deployed for malicious purposes.—
Shannon Bond,
NPR,
10 July 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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A far cry from the mild-mannered Peter Parker in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man films, Tully is an abusive, hot-headed, and greedy slime ball who leverages post-war desperation into a thriving criminal business.—
Josh Weiss,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2025
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Otero Cruz, from Women Against Abuse, said leaving an abusive relationship is the most dangerous time for survivors.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
1 July 2025
Adjective
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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
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Wife guy, always a little mocking, curdled into the plainly pejorative.—
Jeremy Gordon,
The Atlantic,
9 June 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 15 Jul. 2025.
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