as in reduced
to bring to a lower grade or rank
the court-martial's decision was to demote the officer responsible for the failed mission
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Recent Examples of demoted
After all, his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, demoted him as a working royal but didn’t do much else and provided him with the money to pay a settlement to Virginia Giuffre.
—
Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 18 Mar. 2026
Just beware of adding something really wacky—like raisins—or you’ll be put on potluck probation and demoted to plate-and-napkin duty.
—Josh Miller, Southern Living, 14 Mar. 2026
They were last demoted to England’s second tier in 1977 and have only spent one season outside the top division since 1950.
—Joe Prince-Wright, NBC news, 13 Mar. 2026
Red Bull then demoted Lawson back to Racing Bulls and replaced him with Tsunoda for the rest of the season.
—Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2026
Or, rather, demoted her to United States Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, whatever that is.
—Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 8 Mar. 2026
He was demoted from sergeant and suspended for six days.
—Ashley Luthern, jsonline.com, 5 Mar. 2026
Informed that he would be demoted to a depth role, Spence asked for a trade and was dealt to the Ottawa Senators for two mid-round draft picks.
—Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 1 Mar. 2026
The following day, Bird, acquired as part of an effort to retool the Bombers’ bullpen, was demoted to Triple-A.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2026
Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 18 Mar. 2026
Just beware of adding something really wacky—like raisins—or you’ll be put on potluck probation and demoted to plate-and-napkin duty.
—Josh Miller, Southern Living, 14 Mar. 2026
They were last demoted to England’s second tier in 1977 and have only spent one season outside the top division since 1950.
—Joe Prince-Wright, NBC news, 13 Mar. 2026
Red Bull then demoted Lawson back to Racing Bulls and replaced him with Tsunoda for the rest of the season.
—Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2026
Or, rather, demoted her to United States Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, whatever that is.
—Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 8 Mar. 2026
He was demoted from sergeant and suspended for six days.
—Ashley Luthern, jsonline.com, 5 Mar. 2026
Informed that he would be demoted to a depth role, Spence asked for a trade and was dealt to the Ottawa Senators for two mid-round draft picks.
—Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 1 Mar. 2026
The following day, Bird, acquired as part of an effort to retool the Bombers’ bullpen, was demoted to Triple-A.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demoted
Verb
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Ortiz's public defender attempted to have the woman's bail reduced, per Fox 11.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
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The crucial knowledge required to do this practice well cannot be reduced to rules that can be conveyed in a classroom.—
David Brooks,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In February, the judge overseeing the case dismissed several claims against the bank, but let stand two others.—
Chase Jordan,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Far too often, symptoms such as fatigue, swelling, shortness of breath and nerve pain are misdiagnosed or dismissed.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In a 16-3 Wild Card loss to the Patriots, New England sacked Justin Herbert six times as part of 11 quarterback hits.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
26 Mar. 2026
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The administration sacked Greg Bovino, the Customs and Border Protection official who had become the front man for aggressive enforcement.—
David A. Graham,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Demoted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demoted. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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