demoralize
verb
de·mor·al·ize
di-ˈmȯr-ə-ˌlīz 
ˌdē-,
-ˈmär-
demoralized; demoralizing; demoralizes
1
: to cause to turn aside or away from what is good or true or morally right : to corrupt the morals of
2
a
: to weaken the morale of : discourage, dispirit
were demoralized by the loss
b
: to upset or destroy the normal functioning of
foreclosures were further demoralizing an already desperate real-estate market—
F. D. Roosevelt
F. D. Roosevelt
c
: to throw into disorder
Examples of demoralize in a Sentence
the mere sight of the forbidding cliffs demoralized the climbers
we refused to be demoralized by our humiliating defeat and vowed to come roaring back the following week
Recent Examples on the Web
The months-long soap opera captivated the NBA world and demoralized Magic fans.
—Josh Robbins, The Athletic, 7 Mar. 2025
The strategy used by the Trump administration to reduce the size of government has been indiscriminate and far-reaching, meant to oust civil servants as fast as possible in as many agencies as possible while demoralizing the workers that remain on the job.
—Andy Kroll, ProPublica, 5 Mar. 2025
Hernandez and two other former staffers who attended that meeting testified that they were shocked and demoralized by Platt’s attitude.
—Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2025
The specter of coming staff reductions and a fundamental reorientation of the agency’s functions have left hundreds of the department’s more than 4,200 workers demoralized and sounding the alarm about the effect on educators.
—Zach Montague, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demoralize
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Josh Robbins, The Athletic, 7 Mar. 2025
The strategy used by the Trump administration to reduce the size of government has been indiscriminate and far-reaching, meant to oust civil servants as fast as possible in as many agencies as possible while demoralizing the workers that remain on the job.
—Andy Kroll, ProPublica, 5 Mar. 2025
Hernandez and two other former staffers who attended that meeting testified that they were shocked and demoralized by Platt’s attitude.
—Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2025
The specter of coming staff reductions and a fundamental reorientation of the agency’s functions have left hundreds of the department’s more than 4,200 workers demoralized and sounding the alarm about the effect on educators.
—Zach Montague, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demoralize
Cite this Entry
“Demoralize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/demoralize. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
demoralize
verb
de·mor·al·ize
di-ˈmȯr-ə-ˌlīz
-ˈmär-
1
: to make bad or evil
2
: to weaken in spirit or discipline
fear demoralized the army
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