Synonyms of demoralization

demoralization

noun

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

• degradation
• corruption
• corruptness
• dissoluteness
• debasement
• dissipation
• turpitude
• degeneracy
• perversion
• decadence
• abjection
• degeneration
• sinfulness
• depravity
• libertinism
• decadency
• libertinage
• debauchery
• degenerateness
• evil
• rakishness
• pervertedness
• dissipatedness
• immorality
• villainy
• wickedness
• squalor
• filth
• gangrene
• rot

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• virtue
• morality
• goodness
• righteousness

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

• despair
• dismay
• discouragement
• defeatism
• depression
• despondency
• disheartenment
• dejection
• melancholy
• gloom
• resignation
• dispiritedness
• dumps
• blues
• pessimism
• mopes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• encouragement
• optimism
• sanguinity

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of demoralization

Because many women have dealt with demoralization and shame for years, cognitive behavioral therapy can also help. — Brittney Melton, NPR, 27 July 2026

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