demotion

noun

as in firing
the act or an instance of bringing to a lower grade or rank anyone who objects will get a demotion

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 demotion Among them, offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand opted against taking what was effectively a demotion, with play-calling duties going to a more veteran coach (eventually, Frank Reich), and left, too. — Jonathan Jones, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026 The decision to exclude the REDI Taskforce lead, Sarah Vaine, from the meeting where the level of discipline was decided upon (demotion and suspension), rested solely with the former City Manager. — Christa Swanson, CBS News, 16 Aug. 2026 Levante barely escaped demotion last season, finishing in 16th place. — ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026 Despite the demotion, Prieto's impressive minor league track record suggests the Cardinals haven't abandoned him. — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026 Still, that’s a big demotion, considering Learn Live seems to be intended for schools and educational users rather than mainstream consumers. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 14 Aug. 2026 The revelation comes just weeks after another lawmaker and county executive candidate publicly raised allegations of corruption in the Jackson County Legislature — and faced his own demotion in the process. — Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 8 Aug. 2026 Barberie was let go four months later after declining a demotion. — Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2026 And John, after falling out with his boss and not finding anything good in Seoul, had just been rehired at his old office in Sydney, albeit with a demotion and a lower salary. — Min Jin Lee, New Yorker, 19 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demotion
  1. firing
  2. dismissal
  3. reduction
  4. humiliation
  5. sacking
Noun
  • In addition to protecting the warhead, the reentry body incorporates essential non-nuclear control, arming, fuzing, and firing components.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 23 Aug. 2026
  • That combination, just like QIH, suppressed neuronal firing and stripped out a comparable share of synapses, but the mice came out of it with impaired fear memory.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of firing
Noun
  • The former defence minister is popular among younger Ukrainians and his dismissal in July sparked protests across the country.
    — Will Barker, TheWeek, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Opinion polls taken in recent weeks show that Fedorov has grown popular enough in Ukraine since his dismissal to pose a serious challenge to Zelensky in a presidential race.
    — Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of dismissal
Noun
  • Amid concerns of a further reduction in precipitation and runoff, the canal operator has already imposed multiple draft restrictions for larger Neopanamax vessels to limit the amount of freight carried through the channel.
    — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • For others, a substitute would require redesigning the component or accepting a performance reduction.
    — Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of reduction
Noun
  • This month, that disconnect became an electoral humiliation for Republican leaders.
    — Jeremy Kohler, ProPublica, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The season’s final humiliation was losing a Copa del Rey final to neighbours Atletico Madrid at the Bernabeu, with both Mourinho and Ronaldo red-carded.
    — Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of humiliation
Noun
  • Thousands of Ukrainians took to the streets to demand the sacking of Syrskyi — an old-guard military commander blamed by his critics for heavy troop losses at the front line — and Fedorov’s reinstatement.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Liverpool have been without a specialist set-piece coach since the sacking of Aaron Briggs last December.
    — James Pearce, New York Times, 24 July 2026
Definition of sacking

Browse Nearby Words

demoting
demotion
demotions
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Demotion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demotion. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of cogent

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Why do we say 'break a leg'?
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All