DEMORALIZED Synonyms: 209 Similar and Opposite Words

demoralized 1 of 2

adjective

as in degraded

having or showing lowered moral character or standards a demoralized nation that had forgotten the values that once made it great

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demoralized

2 of 2

verb

past tense of demoralize

as in paralyzed

to deprive of courage or confidence the mere sight of the forbidding cliffs demoralized the climbers

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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

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as in humiliated

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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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of demoralized

Adjective

Despite being outnumbered and outmaneuvered, Washington maintained order among his demoralized troops. — Christopher Magra, The Conversation, 10 Feb. 2026 The Democratic Party has funneled all the fury of its demoralized and humiliated voter base into a focal point centered on immigration policy. — Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 21 Jan. 2026 Iraqi units were so demoralized and disorganized that, in one now-famous incident, a group of soldiers surrendered to an unmanned Pioneer drone. — David A. Deptula, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026 There’s sort of a demoralized aura around the program these days. — Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026 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

Despite the funeral arrangements demoralized Dodgers are making, Los Angeles isn't eliminated yet. — Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026 Tricia Poreda, a critical care resource nurse at Endeavor, said nurses across the system feel demoralized by staffing changes in recent years. — Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 13 Oct. 2026 But he and the offensive line were demoralized on a pair of run-stuffs. — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 27 Sep. 2026 In their first national title game, the Wildcats humiliated Oklahoma in the national semifinal by 44, and in their second, demoralized Michigan in the title game by 17. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2026 This demoralized his troops, who promptly fled or surrendered. — Tamanna Nangia, Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 Aug. 2026 There was concern that demoralized and impoverished Europeans—artists and intellectuals especially—would be drawn to the blandishments of the Soviet Union. — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026 Nelson, demoralized by the trade, missed nine games that season because of illness and resigned under pressure three months later in February 1995. — John Raby, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2026 Where Barbie was forced to reconsider Barbieland’s values after paying a visit to the real world, Adam is forced to uphold the real world’s values after being zapped back to a fantasyland whose greatest warriors have been utterly demoralized by their insufficient physical force. — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 2 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for demoralized

Adjective

Design choices previously thought to boost power, such as widening the gap between electrodes, actually degraded performance under true operating conditions.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2026
Initially, Pike’s attorneys and several death penalty experts raised the possibility that the drugs may have been too old or degraded to work as intended.

— Keri Blakinger, ProPublica, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of degraded

Verb

Parents were taught to respond supportively while stepping back from rescuing their child from what frightened them.

— Deldhy Nicolás Moya Sánchez, The Conversation, 5 Nov. 2026
Hamabe said Nagatani had barely left toddlerhood during the first shoot and was easily frightened by the many adults on set.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of frightened

Verb

By comparison, the prewar sanctions that devastated Iran’s economy, hobbled its military, and discouraged it from seeking nuclear weapons were a bargain.

— S. C. M. Paine, Foreign Affairs, 3 Nov. 2026
One card was from a Syrian woman whose family discouraged her from sitting for an on camera to share her experiences as a refugee – so Sachs settles for filming a tribute to the woman’s cooking skills.

— Will Tizard, Variety, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of discouraged

Verb

From the very start, the students assigned as guards went on cruel power trips and repeatedly humiliated — if not psychologically tortured — the inmates, to the point that some of the prisoners suffered nervous breakdowns.

— Frank Landymore, Futurism, 29 Oct. 2026
The Packers come off an angry loss while the Panthers were humiliated on Sunday.

— Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of humiliated

Adjective

Many progressives, led by Bernie Sanders, the independent senator from Vermont, also believe that a global oligarchy poses a threat to democracy and see big business in defense, technology, and finance as part of a corrupt system.

— THOMAS WRIGHT, Foreign Affairs, 3 Nov. 2026
Donalds is just another gear in the Republican engine that is beholden to the wealthy the powerful and the corrupt — all at the expense of working-class Floridians.

— Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of corrupt

Verb

Aramayo is candid about the fear, as well as the script that scared him.

— Clayton Davis, Variety, 6 Nov. 2026
That’s a $69,000 per-screen average — a far cry from La La Land ($176K) or even Anora ($91K), but in line with the likes of Poor Things and I, Tonya, showing that the streamers’ imprimatur hasn’t scared off theatrical audiences.

— Nate Jones, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of scared

Verb

Lara faced intense scrutiny and criticism during his eight years in office from Californians frustrated by rising prices, fewer options and how their claims were handled.

— Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026
In Broward County, voters who lined up to be the first to cast ballots were frustrated by a technical issue that delayed voting by 20 minutes.

— David Fleshler, Sun Sentinel, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of frustrated

Verb

The Times also found that the towers had no visible shear walls, and that the uniform orientation of their columns weakened these high-rises against seismic forces.

— Avery Schmitz, CNN Money, 8 Nov. 2026
Once a symbol of superlative government competence, the nation’s weakened federal space agency has largely outsourced its extraterrestrial ambitions to the private sector.

— Peter Jamison, Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2026

Definition of weakened

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Style

“Demoralized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demoralized. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of demoralized

adjective

verb

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