demoralizes

verb

present tense third-person singular of demoralize
1
as in paralyzes
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 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

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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

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Example Sentences

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 demoralizes This is not perfectionism, the impossible demand to be perfect humanly, which paralyzes and demoralizes. — Suzanne Riedel, Christian Science Monitor, 4 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demoralizes
  1. paralyzes
  2. discourages
  3. degrades
  4. frightens
  5. frustrates
  6. humiliates
  7. terrifies
  8. corrupts
Verb
  • During REM sleep, one of the periods of rest when dreams are most likely, the brainstem paralyzes the body’s muscles, except, of course, those that move our eyes and keep us breathing.
    — RJ Mackenzie, Popular Science, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Kosowski, prosecutors theorized, killed Cozzi with succinylcholine, a fast-acting drug that paralyzes muscles, and threw his body in a Collier County dumpster during a drive to Miami.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of paralyzes
Verb
  • Arizona’s suit said the chatbot pushes teens to share personal information and at times discourages them from telling parents, authorities or friends.
    — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2026
  • But others support the changes, saying the more car-centric configuration discourages pedestrians and cyclists while making traffic more dangerous.
    — Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of discourages
Verb
  • According to fragrance company Goldfield & Banks, an 18-degree increase in temperature degrades perfume twice as fast.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 1 Nov. 2026
  • For example, Arnold and his colleagues discovered a technique that degrades proteins that hold synapses together, deleting them from neurons en masse.
    — Simon Makin, Scientific American, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of degrades
Verb
  • The prospect of Sean Steur or Lewis Hall — whose contract situation Wilson refused to be drawn on, despite being asked three times — leaving is not something which frightens the hierarchy.
    — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Penelope, too, is asked to occupy a landscape that frightens her, not only as a neurodivergent child in a neurotypical culture, but as a child now situated in an adult world.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of frightens
Verb
  • This frustrates Americans, who tend to seek simple, quick, and permanent fixes to foreign policy problems.
    — S. C. M. Paine, Foreign Affairs, 3 Nov. 2026
  • What frustrates him most is the reflexive apology that typically accompanies the accessibility gap instead, often getting in the way of real problem-solving.
    — Maribeth Romslo, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of frustrates
Verb
  • Filming a scene in which Isaiah humiliates Cam, Withers asked Wayans to crack jokes about Kionte’s death — the defining event of Withers’ life, and his lowest point.
    — Daniel D'Addario, Variety, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Diomande just humiliates fullbacks.
    — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 12 June 2026
Definition of humiliates
Verb
  • Watch On In this Canadian cult classic that doubles as a coming-of-age story, a sardonic goth transforms into a werewolf in the days leading up to Halloween and terrifies her younger sister.
    — David Faris, TheWeek, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Black Palace is set in 1888 London as an emerging tabloid media terrifies the public with lurid stories of infamous serial killer Jack the Ripper.
    — Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of terrifies
Verb
  • Forgetting his bond with the land, Mariano awakens the Ch’iqmi, a dark force that corrupts his people.
    — Kevin Giraud, Variety, 25 June 2026
  • 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
Definition of corrupts

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demoralized
demoralizes
demoralizing
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Cite this Entry

“Demoralizes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demoralizes. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

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