1
as in to paralyze
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 to discourage
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to humiliate
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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Recent Examples of demoralize
There’s now some optimism around this Rangers team that looked demoralized and beaten down for pretty much this entire season.
—
Arthur Staple, New York Times, 2 May 2025
Neon’s deal for thriller Together, Netflix’s for likely awards hopeful Train Dreams and A24’s for Eva Victor’s Sorry, Baby (also screening in Cannes) were the standouts of an otherwise demoralizing market.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 19 May 2025
As a result, many controllers report that they are fatigued and demoralized, a combination that some fear could lead to a catastrophic mistake.
—Aaron Krolik, New York Times, 16 May 2025
This is because Kyiv's strikes tend to target Russia's oil facilities linked to its war effort, while Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities aim to demoralize the population in winter.
—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demoralize
Arthur Staple, New York Times, 2 May 2025
Neon’s deal for thriller Together, Netflix’s for likely awards hopeful Train Dreams and A24’s for Eva Victor’s Sorry, Baby (also screening in Cannes) were the standouts of an otherwise demoralizing market.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 19 May 2025
As a result, many controllers report that they are fatigued and demoralized, a combination that some fear could lead to a catastrophic mistake.
—Aaron Krolik, New York Times, 16 May 2025
This is because Kyiv's strikes tend to target Russia's oil facilities linked to its war effort, while Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities aim to demoralize the population in winter.
—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demoralize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demoralize
Verb
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Fear of the unknown, driven by economic instability and geopolitical shifts, can paralyze teams.—
David Meade,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
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Inflammation from these conditions can paralyze the colon, causing symptoms like bloody diarrhea, vomiting, and fever.—
Janelle McSwiggin,
Health,
6 June 2025
Verb
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That guidance similarly discourages blanket exclusions and encourages individualized assessments that consider the nature of the offense, its recency, and its relevance to the job.—
Alonzo Martinez,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
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State wildlife biologists and Parks and Wildlife officials said killing the wolf is meant to change pack behavior by discouraging the predators from targeting livestock.—
Katie Langford,
Denver Post,
30 May 2025
Verb
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And after Trump’s attempts to humiliate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office, the lure of the White House is waning.—
Stephen Collinson,
CNN Money,
31 May 2025
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Simone Inzaghi really needs the win here — his Italian side finished one point behind Serie A champ Napoli and was humiliated by rival AC Milan in the Coppa Italia semifinal.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
31 May 2025
Verb
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Swatting is the criminal practice of calling law enforcement, particularly Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team, to someone's house in order to harass or intimidate them.—
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 June 2025
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As intimidating as the private equity process may be for franchisors, the jargon and statistics that are a part of everyday franchise life are just as opaque to investors.—
Patrick Galleher,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Verb
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Musk was reportedly frustrated about OpenAI being part of the deal and allegedly warned G42 officials on a call that Trump would not sign off on a deal unless his company xAI was included.—
Siladitya Ray,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
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His Democratic Party predecessor, Moon Jae-in, had three years with a near supermajority in the legislature but had his agenda frustrated by party colleagues with little appetite for painful corrective measures.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
29 May 2025
Verb
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Israeli forces are expected to continue their campaign to eliminate remaining Hamas leaders and degrade the group's military capabilities.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 May 2025
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Lithium-ion batteries degrade over time and can overheat if charged beyond their capacity and cause fires, according to FEMA’s U.S. Fire Administration.—
David Matthews,
New York Daily News,
28 May 2025
Verb
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On May 18, Palmer and the cast attended the Shadyside High Senior Prom ’88 experience as guests explored versions of the gymnasium, lockers, girls’ bathroom and more locations designed to frighten fans.—
Ryan Gajewski,
HollywoodReporter,
23 May 2025
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What to know The Astra channel said that Tokarev, head of the military medical commission of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Sevastopol, got frightened during an air raid alarm overnight on May 1 sparked by a Ukrainian drone barrage.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 May 2025
Verb
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Bias, inaccuracies and missing values can all weaken model reliability.—
Tor Constantino,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
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Coercing democratic allies such as Canada or Denmark more broadly weakens trust in U.S. alliances; threatening Panama reawakens fears of imperialism throughout Latin America; crippling the U.S. Agency for International Development undercuts the United States’ reputation for benevolence.—
Robert O. Keohane,
Foreign Affairs,
2 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Demoralize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demoralize. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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