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
Lee will also have to find a way to heal his riven nation, whose people are utterly demoralized with bickering, partisanship, and a pathological inability to find consensus on any issue.
—
Charlie Campbell, Time, 29 May 2025
But in places like Egypt and Russia, where civic forces are demoralized or divided, oligarchs can hang on with daunting endurance.
—Evan Osnos, New Yorker, 26 May 2025
The Pacers will look to take a strong 2-0 lead, while the Knicks will try to pick up the pieces from such a demoralizing loss.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 May 2025
Inter Miami has lost four of its past five games with the most recent being a demoralizing 4-1 loss at Minnesota.
—Andre Fernandez, Miami Herald, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for demoralize
Charlie Campbell, Time, 29 May 2025
But in places like Egypt and Russia, where civic forces are demoralized or divided, oligarchs can hang on with daunting endurance.
—Evan Osnos, New Yorker, 26 May 2025
The Pacers will look to take a strong 2-0 lead, while the Knicks will try to pick up the pieces from such a demoralizing loss.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 May 2025
Inter Miami has lost four of its past five games with the most recent being a demoralizing 4-1 loss at Minnesota.
—Andre Fernandez, Miami Herald, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for demoralize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demoralize
Verb
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Inflammation from these conditions can paralyze the colon, causing symptoms like bloody diarrhea, vomiting, and fever.—
Janelle McSwiggin,
Health,
6 June 2025
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Fear of the unknown, driven by economic instability and geopolitical shifts, can paralyze teams.—
David Meade,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Verb
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To discourage their dog from any more late-night excursions, the Olsen family, who rescued Max two years ago, has been regularly feeding Max his treat of choice at home.—
Rachel McRady,
People.com,
13 June 2025
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If, however, the president makes good on those threats or even institutes a different series of tariffs to discourage studios from shooting movies overseas, no amount of tax credits and belt-tightening will be able to save the day.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
13 June 2025
Verb
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Ukrainians said they were subjected to beatings, electric shocks and dog attacks by Russian authorities, not only to extract information but to intimidate and humiliate them.—
Richard Engel,
NBC news,
11 June 2025
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Musk, who also owns SpaceX, had backed Isaacman, and felt betrayed and humiliated when Trump changed his mind, according to the report.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
7 June 2025
Verb
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As intimidating as the private equity process may be for franchisors, the jargon and statistics that are a part of everyday franchise life are just as opaque to investors.—
Patrick Galleher,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
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Swatting is the criminal practice of calling law enforcement, particularly Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team, to someone's house in order to harass or intimidate them.—
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 June 2025
Verb
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Having borrowed the sand and surf motif from his surfer brother Dennis Wilson — the only surfer among the group — Brian later became inspired, and frustrated, by The Beatles’ evolving sound.—
Erik Pedersen,
Deadline,
11 June 2025
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But Nelson, clearly, is still frustrated by the decision to let such a talented player leave the team.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
9 June 2025
Verb
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Use of this material has been proposed in the past, but has been hampered by the fact that making CNTs involves metals, and the residue left behind ends up degrading electrical performance.—
Alex Knapp,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2025
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Briefly, however, while advocates say that isolating water conveyance from the Delta would improve habitat for fish and other wildlife, opponents contend that less water flowing through the estuary would further degrade its water quality.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
13 June 2025
Verb
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On May 18, Palmer and the cast attended the Shadyside High Senior Prom ’88 experience as guests explored versions of the gymnasium, lockers, girls’ bathroom and more locations designed to frighten fans.—
Ryan Gajewski,
HollywoodReporter,
23 May 2025
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What to know The Astra channel said that Tokarev, head of the military medical commission of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Sevastopol, got frightened during an air raid alarm overnight on May 1 sparked by a Ukrainian drone barrage.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 May 2025
Verb
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Bias, inaccuracies and missing values can all weaken model reliability.—
Tor Constantino,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
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Coercing democratic allies such as Canada or Denmark more broadly weakens trust in U.S. alliances; threatening Panama reawakens fears of imperialism throughout Latin America; crippling the U.S. Agency for International Development undercuts the United States’ reputation for benevolence.—
Robert O. Keohane,
Foreign Affairs,
2 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Demoralize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demoralize. Accessed 16 Jun. 2025.
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