as in degraded
having or showing lowered moral character or standards
a demoralized nation that had forgotten the values that once made it great
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in paralyzed
to deprive of courage or confidence
the mere sight of the forbidding cliffs demoralized the climbers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in discouraged
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in humiliated
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
felt society as a whole has been demoralized by the widespread availability of pornography
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of demoralized
Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
The octogenarian trying to reach a new generation of voters amid a demoralized Democratic Party is a stark juxtaposition.
—Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2025
Muhib Rahman, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2025
One reason is that the fan base is demoralized after La Vinotinto was routed 6-3 by Colombia in the final qualifying date last month and failed to earn a World Cup playoff spot.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2025
Some talked about food prices and the cost of living; others talked about being demoralized by war.
—Eric Lach, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
That's left federal workers, already drained and demoralized by months of layoffs and funding cuts, scrambling to figure out how to cope with the possibility of weeks without pay and a new round of layoffs, according to nearly two dozen federal workers who reached out to NBC News.
—Christian Orozco, NBC news, 3 Oct. 2025
Citizens, environmental groups and tribal stakeholders are demoralized by this and the prioritization of industrial logging, embrace of pseudoscience, non-transparency, poor responsiveness to public and expert comments, and meetings held while stakeholders are at work.
—John P. O’Brien, Mercury News, 13 Sep. 2025
Jen DeLorenzo, a career coach and founder of professional coaching business The Career Raven, says that several of her clients are feeling demoralized due to long job searches.
—Sophie Caldwell, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2025
The departures leave a leadership void that, according to current and former CDC officials, has demoralized the agency’s staff and will further undermine its ability to provide reliable guidance to Americans.
—Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2025
According to a friend who works at Social Security, top leaders have quit, staff is demoralized and many are concerned about DOGE personnel accessing our personal data, violating security protocols and pushing a complete and rapid overhaul of the entire computer systems.
—Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
But a new study has found that such workplace jargon may be doing more harm than good—making employees feel confused, demoralized and less likely to collaborate with their coworkers.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
The octogenarian trying to reach a new generation of voters amid a demoralized Democratic Party is a stark juxtaposition.
—Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2025
Verb
Bangladeshi civil society welcomed rhetorical support for its democracy but was demoralized by Washington’s reluctance to act decisively.
—Muhib Rahman, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2025
One reason is that the fan base is demoralized after La Vinotinto was routed 6-3 by Colombia in the final qualifying date last month and failed to earn a World Cup playoff spot.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2025
Some talked about food prices and the cost of living; others talked about being demoralized by war.
—Eric Lach, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
That's left federal workers, already drained and demoralized by months of layoffs and funding cuts, scrambling to figure out how to cope with the possibility of weeks without pay and a new round of layoffs, according to nearly two dozen federal workers who reached out to NBC News.
—Christian Orozco, NBC news, 3 Oct. 2025
Citizens, environmental groups and tribal stakeholders are demoralized by this and the prioritization of industrial logging, embrace of pseudoscience, non-transparency, poor responsiveness to public and expert comments, and meetings held while stakeholders are at work.
—John P. O’Brien, Mercury News, 13 Sep. 2025
Jen DeLorenzo, a career coach and founder of professional coaching business The Career Raven, says that several of her clients are feeling demoralized due to long job searches.
—Sophie Caldwell, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2025
The departures leave a leadership void that, according to current and former CDC officials, has demoralized the agency’s staff and will further undermine its ability to provide reliable guidance to Americans.
—Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2025
According to a friend who works at Social Security, top leaders have quit, staff is demoralized and many are concerned about DOGE personnel accessing our personal data, violating security protocols and pushing a complete and rapid overhaul of the entire computer systems.
—Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demoralized
Adjective
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Two meetings will be hosted this month for public input on a proposal to restore a degraded estuary in South Laguna at Aliso Creek.—
Erika I. Ritchie,
Oc Register,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Loyola Marymount University professor Demian Willette uses it to better understand how micro-forests take up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, contribute to local biodiversity and help restore degraded land.—
Emily Kwong,
NPR,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Hawking’s work on the physics of black holes helped reshape the scientific understanding of the universe, even after being diagnosed with a motor neuron disease also known as ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, early in life that gradually paralyzed him.—
Arizona Republic,
AZCentral.com,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Economists have attributed this to high uncertainty (in part due to massive shifts in trade and immigration policy) that has paralyzed much business investment.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The audit listed multiple examples where the district’s actions may have discouraged fair competition and may have violated state law.—
Scott Travis,
Sun Sentinel,
8 Jan. 2026
-
New York’s Democratic governor, Andrew Cuomo, issued early stay-at-home orders, imposed one of the first statewide mask mandates, and discouraged in-person church services.—
Jamie Thompson,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
She had never been arrested before and felt humiliated when her mugshot was plastered all over the news after her arrest.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
12 Dec. 2025
-
She was humiliated when her oldest son was forced to testify in a divorce case.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Which makes Shelley Joseph today’s poster gal for the corrupt double standards in the Massachusetts legal system.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Trump is running the most brazenly corrupt administration in modern history.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Mercury News,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
And my father—lovable but imposing, a strapping six feet three inches tall with a thick, bristly mustache and a rumbling Sergeant Schultz accent that frightened my friends half to death—loved to tell stories.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
5 Dec. 2025
-
Fortune had reported in its investigation that people within the agency were frightened of examining Boring Company after two staffers who worked on the case had been disciplined.—
Jessica Mathews,
Fortune,
20 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Fans were frustrated, and a growing number were opting to stay home rather than attend key late November/December games at M&T Bank Stadium, with an AFC North title still within the Ravens’ reach.—
Jeff Zrebiec,
New York Times,
10 Jan. 2026
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But while Coogan racked up millions of views for his YouTube explainers about political figures like Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, he was frustrated by the hours of prep work that went into producing a single episode.—
Julia Black,
Vanity Fair,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
With some estimates putting wave heights as much as 35 feet, weakened hatch covers would have been vulnerable to such waves.—
Stephen J. Beard,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The years of horrific violence have weakened Sudan, plunging its institutions into chaos and making its population more vulnerable and poorer.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Demoralized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demoralized. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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