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
People who are demoted would be handed other responsibilities, said Finance Director Pete Coletto.
—
Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 6 May 2026
But there apparently was some speculation in China surrounding one of the plane's three pilots, 59-year-old first officer Zhang Zhengping, who had been demoted from captain prior to the crash, according to The Times.
—Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 4 May 2026
This was controversial to the public, though, with many feeling that Pluto had been demoted in a dishonorable sense, unjustly kicked out of the club of astronomical objects that people actually care about.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 29 Apr. 2026
Pavel Dorofeyev, Vegas’ leading scorer in the regular season, has yet to record a point in the series and was demoted down the lineup by Tortorella on Friday.
—Jesse Granger, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
Soon after, leadership demoted Moers from his director position.
—Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026
Mavromatis alleges that she was demoted and then fired.
—Stacy Perman, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
After an investigation, the lawsuit says Mavromatis was demoted to social media manager of merchandise.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2026
First she was demoted, then fired.
—Irin Carmon, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2026
Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 6 May 2026
But there apparently was some speculation in China surrounding one of the plane's three pilots, 59-year-old first officer Zhang Zhengping, who had been demoted from captain prior to the crash, according to The Times.
—Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 4 May 2026
This was controversial to the public, though, with many feeling that Pluto had been demoted in a dishonorable sense, unjustly kicked out of the club of astronomical objects that people actually care about.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 29 Apr. 2026
Pavel Dorofeyev, Vegas’ leading scorer in the regular season, has yet to record a point in the series and was demoted down the lineup by Tortorella on Friday.
—Jesse Granger, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
Soon after, leadership demoted Moers from his director position.
—Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026
Mavromatis alleges that she was demoted and then fired.
—Stacy Perman, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
After an investigation, the lawsuit says Mavromatis was demoted to social media manager of merchandise.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2026
First she was demoted, then fired.
—Irin Carmon, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demoted
Verb
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While Himatsingka had to take down his viral Bournvita clip, following a growing public backlash the company reduced sugar content in its offering, according to local media reports.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
7 May 2026
-
In less than 24 hours, the deadly flames reduced the entire city to ash, displacing generations of families overnight.—
Samantha Stokes,
Essence,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
And a federal judge dismissed both of those cases.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
3 May 2026
-
At Friday’s news conference, Cordero-Stutz said outstanding citations will be dismissed.—
Scott Travis,
Sun Sentinel,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
Starmer sacked Mandelson last September after a trove of emails revealed the depth of his ties with Epstein.—
Elizabeth Piper,
USA Today,
7 May 2026
-
Three months later, the city sacked the police and fire chiefs, announcing the decision late on a Friday.—
John Aguilar,
Denver Post,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Demoted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demoted. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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