as in reduced
to bring to a lower grade or rank
the court-martial's decision was to demote the officer responsible for the failed mission
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 demoted
After all, his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, demoted him as a working royal but didn’t do much else and provided him with the money to pay a settlement to Virginia Giuffre.
—
Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 18 Mar. 2026
Just beware of adding something really wacky—like raisins—or you’ll be put on potluck probation and demoted to plate-and-napkin duty.
—Josh Miller, Southern Living, 14 Mar. 2026
They were last demoted to England’s second tier in 1977 and have only spent one season outside the top division since 1950.
—Joe Prince-Wright, NBC news, 13 Mar. 2026
Red Bull then demoted Lawson back to Racing Bulls and replaced him with Tsunoda for the rest of the season.
—Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2026
Or, rather, demoted her to United States Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, whatever that is.
—Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 8 Mar. 2026
He was demoted from sergeant and suspended for six days.
—Ashley Luthern, jsonline.com, 5 Mar. 2026
Informed that he would be demoted to a depth role, Spence asked for a trade and was dealt to the Ottawa Senators for two mid-round draft picks.
—Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 1 Mar. 2026
The following day, Bird, acquired as part of an effort to retool the Bombers’ bullpen, was demoted to Triple-A.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2026
Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 18 Mar. 2026
Just beware of adding something really wacky—like raisins—or you’ll be put on potluck probation and demoted to plate-and-napkin duty.
—Josh Miller, Southern Living, 14 Mar. 2026
They were last demoted to England’s second tier in 1977 and have only spent one season outside the top division since 1950.
—Joe Prince-Wright, NBC news, 13 Mar. 2026
Red Bull then demoted Lawson back to Racing Bulls and replaced him with Tsunoda for the rest of the season.
—Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2026
Or, rather, demoted her to United States Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, whatever that is.
—Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 8 Mar. 2026
He was demoted from sergeant and suspended for six days.
—Ashley Luthern, jsonline.com, 5 Mar. 2026
Informed that he would be demoted to a depth role, Spence asked for a trade and was dealt to the Ottawa Senators for two mid-round draft picks.
—Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 1 Mar. 2026
The following day, Bird, acquired as part of an effort to retool the Bombers’ bullpen, was demoted to Triple-A.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demoted
Verb
-
Benfotiamine reduced harmful brain changes while improving memory in animal experiments.—
BenfoTeam,
Daily News,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Refresh cycles were designed to be repeatable, with quality checks that reduced noise and prevented unintended drift.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Some—too many—dismissed Redzepi’s thirty-odd accusers entirely, seemingly out of a belief that enduring violence is just what kitchen life entails, and that those who want to make it as chefs need to suck it up.—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2026
-
How important for this lucrative but often-dismissed genre?—
Daniel Arkin,
NBC news,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In that same game, Manning was sacked six times and threw two interceptions en route to Texas' 29-21 loss in Gainesville, Fla.—
Zoe Collins Rath,
Austin American Statesman,
17 Mar. 2026
-
The documents show that after being sacked, Mandelson asked for a $732,000 payoff, the rest of his four-year salary.—
JILL LAWLESS AND BRIAN MELLEY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Demoted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demoted. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
