1
as in paralyzes
to deprive of courage or confidence
the mere sight of the forbidding cliffs demoralized the climbers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in discourages
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 degrades
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demoralizes
Verb
-
Once an octopus ambushes and bites its prey, the venom in its saliva paralyzes the prey, allowing the octopus to consume it.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
6 Mar. 2026 -
Monster blizzard paralyzes Northeast with extreme snow, soaring power outages.—
,
FOXNews.com,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Introducing uncertainty into energy rates, financing and grid management threatens existing employers and discourages future investment — particularly for manufacturers, clean tech firms, health care providers and small businesses already struggling with high costs.—
Chris Cate,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The No Place for Hate initiative, which discourages bullying, celebrates diversity and teaches students how to treat others well.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Constantly using more fertilizer than crops require degrades the soil’s natural microbiome, making soil less productive over time, which requires farmers to use more fertilizer to compensate.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
16 Apr. 2026
-
When asked to comment, Apple pointed to previous statements, saying that the DMA discourages innovation, weakens privacy protections, delays or degrades product launches and increases security risks.—
Kai Nicol-Schwarz,
CNBC,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The piercing sunlight frightens her.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Like the 1987 Kurt Vonnegut novel from which the restaurant took its name, Bluebeard encourages guests to drop their guard, surround themselves with other people and try something that frightens them a little.—
USA TODAY NETWORK,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The person at the cash register has to stop helping other customers to try and track down the booth owner, which holds up the line and frustrates everybody.—
Josh Miller,
Southern Living,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Alesia and Mike’s constant absent-mindedness frustrates Jenna and Daisy.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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And the President doesn’t seem to mind if Vance humiliates himself running errands.—
Amy Davidson Sorkin,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2026
-
Later that season, Eric humiliates Bill in front of their Pierpoint colleagues by insulting his work quality and Bill dies from brain cancer.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Frankly, the thought of being beaten by the subscribers terrifies me.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Aubry Bracco is the kind of player who terrifies a certain (male) demographic of Survivor alumni.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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One nanny will try to get to the bottom of it before all the partying, power and privilege corrupts her.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
21 Apr. 2026
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The criticism most often leveled at proposals to support journalism is that government money corrupts editorial independence, which is a very real concern.—
Julian Baron,
Baltimore Sun,
19 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Demoralizes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demoralizes. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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