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
Royce Lewis’ production at the plate since being demoted to Triple-A for a reset has drawn all kinds of attention.
—
Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 3 June 2026
After Juventus were demoted to Serie B in 2006 following the Calciopoli scandal, Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini, Alessandro Del Piero, Pavel Nedved and David Trezeguet stayed.
—Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 2 June 2026
As this happened, thousands of Black teachers and principals were dismissed or demoted.
—David Blazar, The Conversation, 1 June 2026
First came Copernicus, who demoted the Earth from the center of the universe.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 June 2026
David Peterson, demoted to the bullpen this week, gave up one hit in four innings for his first regular-season save in the majors.
—ABC News, 31 May 2026
Who stays in the rotation and who gets demoted to the bullpen?
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 28 May 2026
People management, on its own, is being quietly demoted.
—Mark Murphy, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
With the right-hander demoted, Yankees’ pitching coach Matt Blake said that Cruz still has things to work on, including his strike throwing and control of the running game.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 26 May 2026
Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 3 June 2026
After Juventus were demoted to Serie B in 2006 following the Calciopoli scandal, Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini, Alessandro Del Piero, Pavel Nedved and David Trezeguet stayed.
—Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 2 June 2026
As this happened, thousands of Black teachers and principals were dismissed or demoted.
—David Blazar, The Conversation, 1 June 2026
First came Copernicus, who demoted the Earth from the center of the universe.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 June 2026
David Peterson, demoted to the bullpen this week, gave up one hit in four innings for his first regular-season save in the majors.
—ABC News, 31 May 2026
Who stays in the rotation and who gets demoted to the bullpen?
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 28 May 2026
People management, on its own, is being quietly demoted.
—Mark Murphy, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
With the right-hander demoted, Yankees’ pitching coach Matt Blake said that Cruz still has things to work on, including his strike throwing and control of the running game.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 26 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demoted
Verb
-
The Sagamore was reduced to ashes twice before its final form was constructed in the 1920s (hopefully the third time’s a charm).—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
3 June 2026
-
Similarly, following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the European Union created regulations that sharply reduced its dependence on natural gas in favor of renewable sources.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Hassett dismissed Chapman's assessment, insisting that there is enough inventory.—
Ford McCracken,
ABC News,
31 May 2026
-
When he’s dismissed from his SETI job, a huge cover-up ensues.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Then, just three plays later, Grier was sacked by Saints defensive end Cam Jordan.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
4 June 2026
-
During Wednesday’s open-media look, Thomas flew around the edge during 11-on-11 and would have likely sacked quarterback Justin Fields in a game situation.—
Pete Sweeney
June 4,
Kansas City Star,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Demoted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demoted. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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