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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 demoted
Border Patrol commander-at-large Gregory Bovino - who led confrontational sweeps in Los Angeles, Chicago and other cities - was demoted and will soon retire, Reuters reported.
—
Kristina Cooke, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026
Wow, Huckleberry demoted to Fuckleberry.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 29 Jan. 2026
Her employer later uncovered her identity and reported her to authorities after her performance faltered, and she was demoted.
—Dejanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
But Healey allowed the disgraced former cabinet member to keep her over $200,000 salary while she was demoted to Senior Advisor until the end of 2025.
—Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 25 Jan. 2026
Ike Howard came over from the Tampa Bay Lightning in a trade, started the season in Edmonton and was then demoted to the AHL.
—Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
In a post on X, Hegseth announced that Kelly was being demoted for a video from November.
—Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
As an indication of how badly things went, consider that during the season the Dolphins fired their general manager (Chris Grier) and demoted their quarterback (Tua Tagovailoa).
—Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 7 Jan. 2026
The Kelly story concerned the Arizona senator possibly being demoted from his retired Navy rank of captain.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 6 Jan. 2026
Kristina Cooke, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026
Wow, Huckleberry demoted to Fuckleberry.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 29 Jan. 2026
Her employer later uncovered her identity and reported her to authorities after her performance faltered, and she was demoted.
—Dejanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
But Healey allowed the disgraced former cabinet member to keep her over $200,000 salary while she was demoted to Senior Advisor until the end of 2025.
—Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 25 Jan. 2026
Ike Howard came over from the Tampa Bay Lightning in a trade, started the season in Edmonton and was then demoted to the AHL.
—Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
In a post on X, Hegseth announced that Kelly was being demoted for a video from November.
—Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
As an indication of how badly things went, consider that during the season the Dolphins fired their general manager (Chris Grier) and demoted their quarterback (Tua Tagovailoa).
—Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 7 Jan. 2026
The Kelly story concerned the Arizona senator possibly being demoted from his retired Navy rank of captain.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 6 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demoted
Verb
-
In all, the fees were reduced by about $620,000 through automatic waivers and other savings, said Andrea Osgood, Eden Housing’s chief of real estate development.—
Stephen Hobbs,
Sacbee.com,
28 Jan. 2026
-
This population has been reduced by vehicle strikes and by animals sustaining rodenticide poisoning over the past decades.—
Steve Scauzillo,
Daily News,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Sprowls sued, and an appellate court dismissed the lawsuit, siding with the county party, Davis said.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Jan. 2026
-
In November, a federal judge dismissed the charges against both Comey and James, finding that Halligan had been unlawfully appointed.—
Sarah N. Lynch,
CBS News,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Dak got sacked and lost seven yards.—
Tim Cowlishaw,
Dallas Morning News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Herbert was sacked a career-high 54 times while playing behind an offensive line that was without top tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater because of season-ending injuries.—
Elliott Teaford,
Oc Register,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Demoted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demoted. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
