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
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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
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For Gordon Sheach, founder of Scotland fans’ website The Tartan Scarf, his first memory of football set the precedent for two decades of despair and disillusionment.—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
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The pulse of Royals fans is despair as the season has gone off the rails.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
1 June 2026
Noun
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Rubio acknowledged that the current arrangement may not be permanent, but described it as a significant departure from the corruption and patronage structures that dominated Venezuela during the Chávez and Maduro years.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
2 June 2026
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Becerra has not been accused of wrongdoing in the corruption case, though that did not stop Steyer’s campaign from suggesting he might be indicted in eleventh-hour TV ads that drew a cease-and-desist warning from Becerra’s attorney.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
Much to Healey’s dismay, there is no green energy transition happening in Massachusetts.—
Jennifer Nassour,
Boston Herald,
4 June 2026
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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 9 Jun. 2026.
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