1
as in degradation
a sinking to a state of low moral standards and behavior
a general state of demoralization prevailed at every level of the government
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in despair
the state of being discouraged
the officers struggled to combat the demoralization of the troops as their tour of duty grew longer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of demoralization
The result is exhaustion and quiet demoralization.
—
Jeffrey Sanchez-Burks, Fortune, 13 May 2026
Would your organization be able to recover from the loss and demoralization to do its work?
—Tracy Stone-Manning, Denver Post, 21 Apr. 2026
Nothing could quite match that, but Michigan’s 90-73 demoralization of Arizona got close.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2026
The melancholy truth is that things have sunk into a morass of demoralization and low standards, with journalism inhabiting the poverty sector among the disciplines, and this at a time when communications nationally and internationally have reached an apex of urgency and complexity.
—David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Jeffrey Sanchez-Burks, Fortune, 13 May 2026
Would your organization be able to recover from the loss and demoralization to do its work?
—Tracy Stone-Manning, Denver Post, 21 Apr. 2026
Nothing could quite match that, but Michigan’s 90-73 demoralization of Arizona got close.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2026
The melancholy truth is that things have sunk into a morass of demoralization and low standards, with journalism inhabiting the poverty sector among the disciplines, and this at a time when communications nationally and internationally have reached an apex of urgency and complexity.
—David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demoralization
Noun
-
For millennia, glacial ice and freezing temperatures protected Ötzi’s body — and microbes — from degradation and decay.—
Mindy Weisberger,
CNN Money,
8 June 2026
-
Researchers also confirmed the antenna could split beams between multiple users with minimal signal degradation.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
Those raw emotions and moments of shared experience, which can be so hard to find in a fractured society, will be replicated all over the world in the coming weeks, bring families, communities and entire nations together, uniting them in hope, joy and, of course, despair.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
11 June 2026
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On the other side of the couch, Kyle sits staring at them both, alternating between anger and grief, and although Andy didn’t spend much time trying to peel back the layers of Kyle’s despair, his aimlessness is as much at the heart of this season as anything Amanda and West did.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
Plots often involved ecological disaster, war, corruption, corporate exploitation and extraction.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
-
Allegations of corruption, fraud, insider trading, cronyism, loss of competent intelligence and reckless actions including a new war.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
Much to Healey’s dismay, there is no green energy transition happening in Massachusetts.—
Jennifer Nassour,
Boston Herald,
4 June 2026
-
In April, the industry group expressed dismay at the FAA’s call to roll back hundreds of flights at Chicago O’Hare International Airport this summer to avoid worsening flight delays.—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Demoralization.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demoralization. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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