1
as in to paralyze
to deprive of courage or confidence
the mere sight of the forbidding cliffs demoralized the climbers
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to discourage
to lessen the courage or confidence of
we refused to be demoralized by our humiliating defeat and vowed to come roaring back the following week
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3
as in to humiliate
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
felt society as a whole has been demoralized by the widespread availability of pornography
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Recent Examples of demoralize
The effort to remove the soldier's wife, who was born in Honduras and remained in a federal immigration detention center Monday, has drawn backlash from military family advocates who called the detention demoralizing in a time of war and warned that deporting spouses could undermine recruitment.
—
Jack Brook, ABC News, 6 Apr. 2026
Though my teammates were dehydrated and slightly red in the summer heat, they were not demoralized.
—Gaby Del Valle, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Annual ritual causes anxiety Many have called the annual ritual disruptive to schools and demoralizing to the employees who receive them.
—Edsource, Daily News, 16 Mar. 2026
Creating uncertainty in Iran’s military should help demoralize officers and inspire defections.
—Dennis Ross, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for demoralize
Jack Brook, ABC News, 6 Apr. 2026
Though my teammates were dehydrated and slightly red in the summer heat, they were not demoralized.
—Gaby Del Valle, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Annual ritual causes anxiety Many have called the annual ritual disruptive to schools and demoralizing to the employees who receive them.
—Edsource, Daily News, 16 Mar. 2026
Creating uncertainty in Iran’s military should help demoralize officers and inspire defections.
—Dennis Ross, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for demoralize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demoralize
Verb
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Though brief, Yoon’s martial law decree threw the country into a severe political crisis, paralyzing politics and high-level diplomacy and rattling financial markets.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Apr. 2026
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Though she is paralyzed from the neck down, Lucy still has some mobility in her arms, the Post reported.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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And in recent years, the teams have been deployed to discourage fare-skipping on local buses as well.—
Evan Simko-Bednarski,
New York Daily News,
27 Apr. 2026
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Over time, patterns like these have discouraged Black residents from looking into buying a home, said Shelia Russell-Williams, president of the Real Estate Brokers of Baltimore.—
Lily Carey,
Baltimore Sun,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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One such accusation resulted in a federal lawsuit filed in September in which the former head of the Colorado Division for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing and DeafBlind alleged DHS management humiliated and discriminated against him before forcing him out of his job.—
Katie Langford,
Denver Post,
24 Apr. 2026
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According to the suit, she was humiliated by fellow staff members and belittled due to her race, country of origin, religion and immigration status.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Installing a pea gravel patio yourself may sound a bit intimidating.—
Tessa Cooper,
The Spruce,
25 Apr. 2026
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Solo dining can be intimidating, but a recent rise in parties of one is changing that.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Durant, who returned to the court after missing Game 1 with a right knee contusion, had just three points and five turnovers after halftime as the Lakers frustrated him with relentless double-teams at the top of the key and complicated zones that took away his passing lanes.—
Dan Woike,
New York Times,
22 Apr. 2026
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Some die-hard hometown Prince fans have been frustrated that more new exhibits and events don’t take place there beyond the annual Celebration around Prince’s June 7 birthday (coming up again June 3-7).—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Our objective has always been to degrade Hezbollah’s terrorist infrastructure to the point where diplomacy and a sovereign Lebanese government can take over under Lebanon’s confessional system, reflecting Christian, Sunni and Shiite interests.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
22 Apr. 2026
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Actively removing litter from the coasts can reduce the amount of debris that may degrade into harmful microplastics.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Several critics said the legislation introduces too many unknowns, adding that with the artificial intelligence legislation also under consideration, Connecticut is moving towards regulations that could frighten companies looking to grow in the state.—
P.R. Lockhart,
Hartford Courant,
24 Apr. 2026
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Lee Cronin was both flattered and frightened when Jason Blum suggested titling his The Mummy reimagining as Lee Cronin’s The Mummy.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Every time a middle-class family is forced to drain its wealth or pull back on discretionary spending just to absorb the logistical cost of a geopolitical crisis, the entire economy weakens.—
Katica Roy,
Fortune,
21 Apr. 2026
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But an industry post from commercial real estate analytics firm CoStar cites geopolitical conflict and high ticket prices for weakening demand and hotelier optimism.—
Vivian Song,
CNN Money,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Demoralize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demoralize. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
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