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Definition of disarmingnext
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disarming

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verb

present participle of disarm
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as in demilitarizing
to reduce the size and strength of the armed forces of the defeated nation was disarmed so that it would never again be a threat to international order

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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 disarming
Adjective
This will be both disarming and believable, allowing your daughter to propose times that are both far off and inconvenient. Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 15 Dec. 2022 What follows instead is a pivotal listen that conveys trauma in an assured yet disarming way. Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 8 Dec. 2021 Then check out the work of Danielle Perez, who delivers jokes about the heaviest of subjects with a breezy openness that’s totally disarming. Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 1 Nov. 2021 Garments can be gorgeous, disarming, and take your breath away. BostonGlobe.com, 15 Oct. 2021 These are the results when officers choose to draw their most disarming weapon: compassion. Steve Hartman, CBS News, 6 June 2021
Verb
Usually, even after poor results, there has been a smile, a joke or an attempt at disarming self-deprecation. Mark Critchley, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026 The strikes came a few days before Lebanon’s army commander is scheduled to brief the government on its mission of disarming Hezbollah in areas along the border with Israel. Bassem Mroue, Los Angeles Times, 5 Jan. 2026 The Gaza ceasefire is fragile, with Trump pressing Israel to accelerate Phase 2 – but no international force has materialized to govern Gaza, and prospects of Hamas disarming seem remote. Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 28 Dec. 2025 The disarming sweetness of My Octopus Teacher (a quality that undoubtedly sealed its Best Documentary Oscar win) is front and center as filmmaker and free-diver Craig Foster forges an unexpected friendship with an octopus in a remote kelp forest near Cape Town. Tomris Laffly, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Dec. 2025 After disarming a gunman and subsequently walking backward to the front door with his hands up while holding the weapon, Green, then 20, was met by police officers who had been at the scene of a nearby fatal shooting, at which time now-former officer Mark McNamara opened fire. Devan Patel, Mercury News, 24 Dec. 2025 Demilitarizing Gaza and disarming Hamas are similarly challenging tasks. Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 23 Dec. 2025 For instance, mouse fathers exposed to nicotine sire male pups with livers that are good at disarming not just nicotine but cocaine and other toxins as well. Ivan Amato, Quanta Magazine, 22 Dec. 2025 Victims are then asked to disable Windows Defender before installation, effectively disarming their own protection before running the malware. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disarming
Adjective
  • This includes flouncy midi dresses, romantic blouses, and adorable footwear.
    Izzy Baskette, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
  • But no amount of adorable anthropomorphic messaging can account for the screenwriters’ screaming lack of research and zero likable characters.
    Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • The allure of their relationship is undeniable, but charming as their chemistry is, something is definitely off.
    Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Jan. 2026
  • For a quintessential small-town Vermont experience, stay at the charming Mad River Barn right around the corner.
    Lydia Price, Travel + Leisure, 8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • Turning to Hjulmand as his replacement seemed almost a conciliatory gesture.
    Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2025
  • Trump is famously mercurial, while Petro could become more conciliatory.
    Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The details of a temporary security force in charge of demilitarizing Gaza and training a new Palestinian police force are under discussion as part of the work on the resolution, according to the source.
    Eugenia Yosef, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
  • Trump holds the cards for success or failure in demilitarizing Gaza and deradicalizing the Palestinians.
    Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Then imagine a Congress seated in January 2027 with even more lawmakers guaranteed reelection and concerned mainly with appeasing their party’s activist base.
    Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2025
  • Nevertheless, Ed still idolized Augusta and would grow to become obsessed with appeasing her, according to Biography.
    Yasmeen Hamadeh, PEOPLE, 5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • For them, socialism has meant only a hankering for state tyranny and brazen assaults on property rights that, together, threaten the beliefs every patriotic citizen holds dear.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
  • That, dear reader, is a mission worth pursuing.
    Angela Haupt, Time, 5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Sweeney stars as Penny Jo, a South Dakota diner waitress with an appealing smile, an ingratiating stammer, a scarf in her hair, and deep reserves of ruthless ambition.
    Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2025
  • Still, on a moment-to-moment basis, the film has tension, strong character dynamics and sharp individual portraits whose astringency gets alleviated by Gottsagen and James’ more ingratiating turns.
    Dennis Harvey, Variety, 14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • For an accent, consider introducing a deep blue shade to provide a soothing contrast.
    Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Nov. 2025
  • The soothing, antioxidant-rich formula offers enough coverage that it can be used in lieu of a tinted moisturizer or lightweight foundation.
    Emily Orofino, Vogue, 30 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Disarming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disarming. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.

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