as in reducing
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of demoting
Biden opted to make South Carolina the Democrats’ first-in-the-nation primary state, advancing Nevada and Michigan in the schedule while dropping Iowa and demoting New Hampshire.
—
Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2026
Trump’s efforts to reset the narrative include demoting Gregory Bovino from the Border Patrol’s commander of at-large operations overseeing ICE embeds.
—Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 27 Jan. 2026
Those are more enticing routes for Finch to take than demoting a struggling Randle last season to promote a struggling Reid.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 21 Jan. 2026
But demoting Kelly requires an administrative process known as officer grade determination, which by law makes its decisions based on an officer's conduct while on active duty.
—Davis Winkie, USA Today, 5 Jan. 2026
Highways, viaducts, giant interchanges, and a major Metro junction viciously mutilated São Paulo’s downtown in the 1960s and ’70s, demoting it from a popular residential area to a commercial transfer hub, overcrowded and polluted by day but forlorn by night.
—Michaëla De Lacaze Mohrmann, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
Considering this poor return (scoring points was a key target in demoting Doohan for Colapinto), Briatore acknowledged during the Dutch GP weekend that Alpine may have unnecessarily burdened its young Argentine driver.
—Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Spirit has been looking for ways to slash costs, including furloughing and demoting hundreds more pilots and cutting unprofitable routes.
—Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2025
Spirit is furloughing 270 pilots and demoting an additional 140.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2026
Trump’s efforts to reset the narrative include demoting Gregory Bovino from the Border Patrol’s commander of at-large operations overseeing ICE embeds.
—Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 27 Jan. 2026
Those are more enticing routes for Finch to take than demoting a struggling Randle last season to promote a struggling Reid.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 21 Jan. 2026
But demoting Kelly requires an administrative process known as officer grade determination, which by law makes its decisions based on an officer's conduct while on active duty.
—Davis Winkie, USA Today, 5 Jan. 2026
Highways, viaducts, giant interchanges, and a major Metro junction viciously mutilated São Paulo’s downtown in the 1960s and ’70s, demoting it from a popular residential area to a commercial transfer hub, overcrowded and polluted by day but forlorn by night.
—Michaëla De Lacaze Mohrmann, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
Considering this poor return (scoring points was a key target in demoting Doohan for Colapinto), Briatore acknowledged during the Dutch GP weekend that Alpine may have unnecessarily burdened its young Argentine driver.
—Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Spirit has been looking for ways to slash costs, including furloughing and demoting hundreds more pilots and cutting unprofitable routes.
—Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2025
Spirit is furloughing 270 pilots and demoting an additional 140.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demoting
Verb
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The system responded within milliseconds, fast enough to support real-time reactions such as pulling away from harmful contact or reducing applied force during interaction.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
8 Feb. 2026
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Republicans argued the bill would accomplish little in the way of reducing rates and would demonize utility executives.—
Christine Condon,
Baltimore Sun,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Consequently, before dismissing this federal tax credit scholarship careful consideration should be given to who can benefit from this additional funding and if this program allows a win-win situation for both public and private schools across Illinois.—
Froylan Jimenez,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Feb. 2026
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My career at The Times started as my mother was dying of ovarian cancer after years of doctors dismissing her health concerns.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Demoting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demoting. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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