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
Ashley Hiruko, ProPublica, 26 Mar. 2026
Walter White, executive secretary of the NAACP, lobbied the film studios in 1942 to stop portraying Blacks in demeaning, stereotypical roles, specifically citing Fetchit.
—Literary Hub, 25 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
In 2022, Kadlec records show, more emails were sent to clinic leadership alleging that Mulholland was demeaning to patients and co-workers.
—Ashley Hiruko, ProPublica, 26 Mar. 2026
Walter White, executive secretary of the NAACP, lobbied the film studios in 1942 to stop portraying Blacks in demeaning, stereotypical roles, specifically citing Fetchit.
—Literary Hub, 25 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
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Survivors rejected the offer, calling it insulting.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
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The cast’s sole survivor is Jessica Hecht, who pours miraculous warmth and complexity into her faintly insulting role as Colleen, the head teller, a morally upright spinster goosed by her flirtation with Sonny and the spotlight.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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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
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For Hildegard…women’s maternal bodies were not corrupting and degrading, but strong, nurturing, and creative.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The deft use of AI animation comes after Chinese President Xi Jinping has pushed for years to boost the country's abilities to spread its messages globally, gain a greater say on world affairs and counter Western narratives that Beijing often sees as biased or even derogatory about China.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2026
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Some incels use the term in a derogatory fashion, believing those who aspire to ascension are delusional.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The lawsuit claims 10 violations of state and federal law, including retaliation, unlawful arrest, unlawful seizure, malicious prosecution and conspiracy and seeks an unspecified amount of money for damages.—
Katie Langford,
Denver Post,
16 Apr. 2026
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This, proponents said, would flag cases where parents might be removing children from school for malicious reasons while sparing those who have done nothing wrong.—
Theo Peck-Suzuki,
Hartford Courant,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
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Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence software, Grok, continues to generate sexualized images of people without their consent, despite his company’s pledge months ago to halt abusive deepfakes after a public backlash and government investigations.—
David Ingram,
NBC news,
14 Apr. 2026
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Lee Milne, 40, was sentenced to eight years in prison following his conviction in Glasgow’s High Court for culpable homicide and engaging in abusive behavior.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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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
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But even scholars often employ the term as a pejorative, used to describe authoritarian government.—
David A. Graham,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Demeaning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demeaning. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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