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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of demoralized
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
Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 25 Feb. 2026
Today everyday Texans are feeling stressed about the economy, demoralized by an administration that is trampling on our constitution, and fearful that our government is broken beyond repair.
—Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
But he was especially demoralized the other day after scouring for bargains at the sprawling Coche Market, which serves a mostly working-class clientele on the southern fringes of this chaotic capital.
—Mery Mogollon, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Just as the 1905 defeat demoralized the military, the withdrawal of Soviet Army forces in 1989 also demoralized the military, and the war eroded public trust.
—Peter Suciu, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
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
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
My uncle taught me to keep some distance, and not to listen too much to the outside voices to avoid being demoralized.
—Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 25 Feb. 2026
Today everyday Texans are feeling stressed about the economy, demoralized by an administration that is trampling on our constitution, and fearful that our government is broken beyond repair.
—Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
But he was especially demoralized the other day after scouring for bargains at the sprawling Coche Market, which serves a mostly working-class clientele on the southern fringes of this chaotic capital.
—Mery Mogollon, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Just as the 1905 defeat demoralized the military, the withdrawal of Soviet Army forces in 1989 also demoralized the military, and the war eroded public trust.
—Peter Suciu, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demoralized
Adjective
-
Trouvelot cuts into this degraded crater, indicating that the neighboring basin formed first.—
Samantha Mathewson,
Space.com,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Preserving tissue improves cloning success rates — a lesson Anderson learned the hard way after degraded samples contributed to her four-year wait.—
Ryan Brennan
March 4,
Kansas City Star,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
He was paralyzed from the waist down.—
Lori Riley,
Hartford Courant,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Chávez was also 14 when he was shot and paralyzed during a robbery by gang members.—
Kayla Hayempour,
NBC news,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Anthropic’s Claude was the only chatbot that reliably discouraged violent plans, doing so in 33 out of 36 conversations during testing.—
Allison Gordon,
CNN Money,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Buzelis was discouraged by his struggles to find his shot amid a losing streak that had stretched to nine games.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
At one point in his teenage years, Diaz was publicly humiliated by the football team who forcefully shaved his curly hair.—
Andrea Flores,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Walz and Ellison were humiliated and could not account for their blundering.—
Joe Soucheray,
Twin Cities,
7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The Shah's regime was corrupt and dysfunctional.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Trump has granted clemency to all manner of criminals from violent January 6 rioters to corrupt politicians and fraudulent businessmen.—
Krista Kafer,
Denver Post,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
That habit didn’t endear the Alspaws to anyone nearby, including one neighbor who threatened to shoot Brittany after the Alspaws frightened his horses.—
Tessa Stuart,
Rolling Stone,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Konstantin, 4, a sociable boy, is often frightened by loud noises and guards, his parents said.—
Mike Hixenbaugh,
NBC news,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The risk when one person holds the top job for decades is that talented executives who aspire to be CEO get frustrated and leave.—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Brooke Armour, executive vice president at California Business Roundtable, said businesses are frustrated that the governor and the Legislature have not yet resolved the deficit.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The lower target follows a yearslong property sector slump that sent home prices tumbling, weakened domestic consumption and investment confidence and led to massive job losses.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Mar. 2026
-
But Bradost said that the Kurdish parties were open to working with most Iranian political forces—just not the Islamic Republic, which is now too weakened to be a partner, or Reza Pahlavi, the son of the late shah of Iran, who has been publicly hostile to the Kurdish parties.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Demoralized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demoralized. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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