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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of demoralizing
Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026
By the time Ambassador Martin authorized an evacuation, the only way out—since Martin had vetoed a proposal to put refugees on freighters and take them down the Saigon River to the coast (too demoralizing a spectacle)—was by helicopter.
—Louis Menand, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
After the traditionally incredibly dominant US basketball team finished third at the 2004 Athens Olympics, the demoralizing loss forced the best ballers in the country to get serious and learn to work together.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 10 Apr. 2026
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
Jack Brook, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2026
The effort to remove Ramos, who was born in Honduras, has drawn backlash from military family advocates, who called the detention demoralizing in a time of war and warned that deporting spouses could undermine recruitment.
—CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
The effort to remove the soldier's wife, who was born in Honduras and remained in a federal immigration detention center Monday, has drawn backlash from military family advocates who called the detention demoralizing in a time of war and warned that deporting spouses could undermine recruitment.
—Jack Brook, ABC News, 6 Apr. 2026
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
Adjective
Other times, the long wait for permanent housing proves demoralizing.
—Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026
By the time Ambassador Martin authorized an evacuation, the only way out—since Martin had vetoed a proposal to put refugees on freighters and take them down the Saigon River to the coast (too demoralizing a spectacle)—was by helicopter.
—Louis Menand, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
After the traditionally incredibly dominant US basketball team finished third at the 2004 Athens Olympics, the demoralizing loss forced the best ballers in the country to get serious and learn to work together.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 10 Apr. 2026
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
Verb
The effort to remove the soldier’s wife, who was born in Honduras and remained in a federal immigration detention center Monday, has drawn criticism from military family advocates who called the detention demoralizing in a time of war and warned that deporting spouses could undermine recruitment.
—Jack Brook, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2026
The effort to remove Ramos, who was born in Honduras, has drawn backlash from military family advocates, who called the detention demoralizing in a time of war and warned that deporting spouses could undermine recruitment.
—CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
The effort to remove the soldier's wife, who was born in Honduras and remained in a federal immigration detention center Monday, has drawn backlash from military family advocates who called the detention demoralizing in a time of war and warned that deporting spouses could undermine recruitment.
—Jack Brook, ABC News, 6 Apr. 2026
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
-
But the growth was slightly slower than economists expected, and a measure of prices accelerated at its fastest pace since 2022 in a potentially discouraging signal for inflation.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Apr. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
The Congress also had in mind President Woodrow Wilson’s paralyzing stroke in 1919 and President Eisenhower’s serious illnesses, including a heart attack that disabled him for six weeks.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
17 Apr. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
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
-
Painting can be a dramatic transformation, but the changes are often irreversible without incurring high costs or degrading property.—
Abby Wolner,
Better Homes & Gardens,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The situation has caused a pile-on of speculation and allegations—including from some of its competitors—that the company is purposely degrading performance owing to a lack of compute capacity.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Transplant Shock is Avoidable Inviting the opportunity for transplant shock has got to be one of the most disheartening gardening mistakes out there.—
Tessa Cooper,
Southern Living,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Sure, the Longhorns (21-15, 9-9) endured an up-and-down regular season and suffered a disheartening loss to Ole Miss in the first round of the SEC Tournament.—
Thomas Jones,
Austin American Statesman,
31 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
-
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
-
State caseworkers have sent an untold number of elders in their care to a coterie of homes with a history of hurting, ignoring or humiliating their residents, records and anguished families say.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
-
These clips often use humor and pop‑culture aesthetics—even LEGO‑style animations—to show Iran’s late supreme leader outsmarting and humiliating his American adversaries.—
Newsweek Editors,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
There are plenty of inconveniences frequent air travelers have become accustomed to, from long security lines to shrinking overhead storage bins, but few are as disconcerting as heavy turbulence in flight.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Apr. 2026
-
About 20 miles southwest of Indianapolis, Mooresville residents report finding dirty water filters turning a disconcerting brown.—
Karl Schneider,
IndyStar,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Demoralizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demoralizing. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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