as in discouraging
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1
as in paralyzing
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 frustrating
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in degrading
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
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Recent Examples of demoralizing
Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 30 Mar. 2026
Nothing is more demoralizing for a team trying to regain its balance than having its outcome determined by the third inning.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 27 Mar. 2026
On the surface, that defeat should have been demoralizing, but the reality was very different.
—Patrick Snell, CNN Money, 21 Feb. 2026
The demoralizing graffiti marring the main entrance to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 360 Lenox Ave.
—Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 12 Feb. 2026
After a demoralizing six-game losing streak that looked to have ended their playoff chances, the Leafs now appear to have life.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
UConn shot 8-for-15 from 3-point range in the first half to Creighton’s 5-for-10, and went on a demoralizing 10-2 scoring run over the final two minutes of the half to take a 41-30 lead into the break.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 1 Feb. 2026
After a year of lackluster hiring and an increasingly demoralizing job-search process, many are sitting out the slog of finding new work altogether.
—Jennifer Liu, CNBC, 14 Jan. 2026
Winfrey shared the demoralizing experience in her 2017 cookbook, Food, Health, and Happiness.
—Avalon Hester, PEOPLE, 31 Dec. 2025
Edsource, Daily News, 16 Mar. 2026
Add in fashion, an industry practically built on demoralizing vulnerable girls, and what could go wrong?
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026
Last year, approximately three hundred and fifty-two thousand civil servants left their jobs, fulfilling one of the Administration’s stated goals of dismantling the government bureaucracy and demoralizing the federal workforce.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2026
On the inbound, Gary Payton found a cutting Fisher, who turned and heaved a miracle 18-footer at the buzzer, demoralizing the Spurs.
—The Athletic Nba Staff, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
The big pass plays were demoralizing to a Kansas squad trying to engineer a comeback most of the game.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
The Heat repeatedly allowed open shots and unchallenged forays to the basket in another demoralizing and disgraceful defensive display, one made all the worse by the fact the Heat is fighting for playoff seeding.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 30 Mar. 2026
Nothing is more demoralizing for a team trying to regain its balance than having its outcome determined by the third inning.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 27 Mar. 2026
On the surface, that defeat should have been demoralizing, but the reality was very different.
—Patrick Snell, CNN Money, 21 Feb. 2026
The demoralizing graffiti marring the main entrance to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 360 Lenox Ave.
—Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 12 Feb. 2026
After a demoralizing six-game losing streak that looked to have ended their playoff chances, the Leafs now appear to have life.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
UConn shot 8-for-15 from 3-point range in the first half to Creighton’s 5-for-10, and went on a demoralizing 10-2 scoring run over the final two minutes of the half to take a 41-30 lead into the break.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 1 Feb. 2026
After a year of lackluster hiring and an increasingly demoralizing job-search process, many are sitting out the slog of finding new work altogether.
—Jennifer Liu, CNBC, 14 Jan. 2026
Winfrey shared the demoralizing experience in her 2017 cookbook, Food, Health, and Happiness.
—Avalon Hester, PEOPLE, 31 Dec. 2025
Verb
Annual ritual causes anxiety Many have called the annual ritual disruptive to schools and demoralizing to the employees who receive them.
—Edsource, Daily News, 16 Mar. 2026
Add in fashion, an industry practically built on demoralizing vulnerable girls, and what could go wrong?
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026
Last year, approximately three hundred and fifty-two thousand civil servants left their jobs, fulfilling one of the Administration’s stated goals of dismantling the government bureaucracy and demoralizing the federal workforce.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2026
On the inbound, Gary Payton found a cutting Fisher, who turned and heaved a miracle 18-footer at the buzzer, demoralizing the Spurs.
—The Athletic Nba Staff, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
The big pass plays were demoralizing to a Kansas squad trying to engineer a comeback most of the game.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 25 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demoralizing
Adjective
-
Both hosts often wept as Guthrie described her emotional journey through the increasingly discouraging investigation into her mother’s whereabouts.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Still, the latest uptick is a discouraging sign for house hunters as the spring buying season kicks off.—
Mary Cunningham,
CBS News,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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At age 14, Arias was caught in the crossfire of a shootout between rival gangs, paralyzing him from the waist down.—
Kayla Hayempour,
NBC news,
8 Mar. 2026
-
In a region where weather swings from paralyzing ice storms to scorching summers, these elements carry weight.—
Mary Grace Granados
Special Contributor,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Mack and the Chargers’ defense pressured quarterbacks Jalen Hurts of the Eagles and Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs, frustrating them and keeping them out of their comfort zones.—
Elliott Teaford,
Oc Register,
20 Dec. 2025
Verb
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More than 100 aircraft launched from land and sea in the first day, with cyber and space campaigns degrading Iranian communications and sensors while the air campaign struck command-and-control centers, ballistic-missile sites, naval forces and intelligence infrastructure.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
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However, having a physical tether limits reliable range, with performance degrading beyond about 20 kilometers (12 miles) as cables snap under stress.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The crocodile’s rare appearance represented a disheartening degradation but a hopeful sign of what the Niger Delta, if salvaged, can still become — an eco-diverse paradise akin to the Amazon or Costa Rica, that feeds its populace and attracts foreign visitors wanting to witness nature’s glory.—
Noo Saro-Wiwa,
The Dial,
24 Mar. 2026
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With the next five against the Lakers, Rockets, Spurs, Cavaliers and Cavaliers, there will be the opportunity for statement wins to follow, after the disheartening losses to the Magic and Hornets.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Clumsiness notwithstanding, bringing a criminal case against a journalist who was reporting on a protest is an authoritarian tactic—a means of frightening the press away from uncovering the truth.—
Quinta Jurecic,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026
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But monks there complained that the slain king was walking around at night, frightening them with strange sounds.—
Rivka Galchen,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Some, like Zdorovetskiy, have been accused of assaulting and humiliating their targets as viewers push for violence.—
Shira Moolten,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Mar. 2026
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First there was Norwegian’s Sturla Holm Lægreid confessing to cheating on his girlfriend during a live interview after winning the bronze medal and tearfully begging her to come back (shockingly, humiliating his ex on national television didn’t work).—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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About 20 miles southwest of Indianapolis, Mooresville residents report finding dirty water filters turning a disconcerting brown.—
Karl Schneider,
IndyStar,
31 Mar. 2026
-
That alone would be disconcerting, but that the line (dubbed the Petrova Line, after the scientist who discovered it) seems to be linked to a new, gradual dimming of the sun?—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Demoralizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demoralizing. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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