as in discouraging
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1
as in paralyzing
to deprive of courage or confidence
the mere sight of the forbidding cliffs demoralized the climbers
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in frustrating
to lessen the courage or confidence of
we refused to be demoralized by our humiliating defeat and vowed to come roaring back the following week
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3
as in degrading
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
felt society as a whole has been demoralized by the widespread availability of pornography
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of demoralizing
Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 12 Feb. 2026
After a demoralizing six-game losing streak that looked to have ended their playoff chances, the Leafs now appear to have life.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
UConn shot 8-for-15 from 3-point range in the first half to Creighton’s 5-for-10, and went on a demoralizing 10-2 scoring run over the final two minutes of the half to take a 41-30 lead into the break.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 1 Feb. 2026
After a year of lackluster hiring and an increasingly demoralizing job-search process, many are sitting out the slog of finding new work altogether.
—Jennifer Liu, CNBC, 14 Jan. 2026
Winfrey shared the demoralizing experience in her 2017 cookbook, Food, Health, and Happiness.
—Avalon Hester, PEOPLE, 31 Dec. 2025
Jackson eventually set out to find space in a local shelter – a demoralizing process in which she was constantly met by closed doors and stifling bureaucracy.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 28 Dec. 2025
The Gators, meanwhile, are coming off the back of a demoralizing defeat to Tennessee last weekend and can afford to throw caution to the wind in pursuit of the slightest glimmer of hope to end the campaign.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2025
The Flames, coming off what could have been a demoralizing loss in Tampa, scored the next four goals and held on for a 5-3 win over the Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena.
—George Richards, Miami Herald, 29 Nov. 2025
The Athletic Nba Staff, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
The big pass plays were demoralizing to a Kansas squad trying to engineer a comeback most of the game.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
The demoralizing graffiti marring the main entrance to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 360 Lenox Ave.
—Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 12 Feb. 2026
After a demoralizing six-game losing streak that looked to have ended their playoff chances, the Leafs now appear to have life.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
UConn shot 8-for-15 from 3-point range in the first half to Creighton’s 5-for-10, and went on a demoralizing 10-2 scoring run over the final two minutes of the half to take a 41-30 lead into the break.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 1 Feb. 2026
After a year of lackluster hiring and an increasingly demoralizing job-search process, many are sitting out the slog of finding new work altogether.
—Jennifer Liu, CNBC, 14 Jan. 2026
Winfrey shared the demoralizing experience in her 2017 cookbook, Food, Health, and Happiness.
—Avalon Hester, PEOPLE, 31 Dec. 2025
Jackson eventually set out to find space in a local shelter – a demoralizing process in which she was constantly met by closed doors and stifling bureaucracy.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 28 Dec. 2025
The Gators, meanwhile, are coming off the back of a demoralizing defeat to Tennessee last weekend and can afford to throw caution to the wind in pursuit of the slightest glimmer of hope to end the campaign.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2025
The Flames, coming off what could have been a demoralizing loss in Tampa, scored the next four goals and held on for a 5-3 win over the Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena.
—George Richards, Miami Herald, 29 Nov. 2025
Verb
On the inbound, Gary Payton found a cutting Fisher, who turned and heaved a miracle 18-footer at the buzzer, demoralizing the Spurs.
—The Athletic Nba Staff, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
The big pass plays were demoralizing to a Kansas squad trying to engineer a comeback most of the game.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 25 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demoralizing
Adjective
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Yet seldom is heard a discouraging word when Darnold assesses what happened in New York, Carolina, San Francisco, or Minnesota.—
Jerry McDonald,
Mercury News,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Their status has been diminished by what has — charitably — been a really discouraging decade, featuring two separate relegations.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Because of the paralyzing fear caused by their operation, small businesses whose customer bases and workforces include immigrant community members temporarily closed due to the sharp drop in customers and fear that their businesses would be subject to CBP raids.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Feb. 2026
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McDonald was only 20 months on the job when a 15-year-old suspect, Shavod Jones, opened fire on him in Central Park on July 12, 1986, striking McDonald in the face, neck and wrist, and paralyzing him instantly.—
Barry Williams,
New York Daily News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Mack and the Chargers’ defense pressured quarterbacks Jalen Hurts of the Eagles and Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs, frustrating them and keeping them out of their comfort zones.—
Elliott Teaford,
Oc Register,
20 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Military planners outlined potential operational concepts aimed at degrading the program, including strikes on key manufacturing and development sites.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Making buses free risks degrading performance.—
Josh Appel,
Washington Post,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The bump was later ruled a penalty, but the disheartening finish had Santos-Griswold considering retirement.—
Aliza Chasan,
CBS News,
4 Feb. 2026
-
If right, their conclusion implies a disheartening lesson amid the otherwise-welcome news.—
Charles Fain Lehman,
The Atlantic,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Clumsiness notwithstanding, bringing a criminal case against a journalist who was reporting on a protest is an authoritarian tactic—a means of frightening the press away from uncovering the truth.—
Quinta Jurecic,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026
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But monks there complained that the slain king was walking around at night, frightening them with strange sounds.—
Rivka Galchen,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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First there was Norwegian’s Sturla Holm Lægreid confessing to cheating on his girlfriend during a live interview after winning the bronze medal and tearfully begging her to come back (shockingly, humiliating his ex on national television didn’t work).—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
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At one point at the table, Jane ran a fork down the side of Robert's face, leaving red lines, humiliating him.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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None of the emails unearthed so far appear to indicate criminal activity, but are—like the photos—disconcerting.—
Eve Batey,
Vanity Fair,
31 Jan. 2026
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Here, the opening sentence is disconcerting because the speaker is coming back to a physical space, but is returning from an absence, which is not a physical space.—
Akhil Sharma,
New Yorker,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Demoralizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demoralizing. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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