demeaning
adjective
de·mean·ing
di-ˈmē-niŋ 
: damaging or lowering the character, status, or reputation of someone or something
The work was dirty and demeaning, though not quite as somber as it sounds.—
Gillian Beer
Gillian BeerHe changed one song title … to slip around radio's reluctance to play songs with demeaning words in them …—Neil Strauss
Neil Strauss[Sylvia Plath] is most helpfully linked, not to the demeaning disputes of her milieu, but to such powerful predecessors as Theodore Roethke, T. S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, and above all Emily Dickinson.—Joyce Carol Oates
Joyce Carol Oates
demeaningly
adverb
When Lorna … takes control of the inmates' pharmacy, she decides that no one needs medication. It's her belief that those who are demeaningly labeled "crazy" are given medication in order to stifle their uniqueness …
—Sophie-Marie Prime
Sophie-Marie Prime
Examples of demeaning in a Sentence
demanded an apology for his demeaning comments
Recent Examples on the Web
The woman, along with her legal team, painted a picture of a violent man whose abusive cycles included demeaning text messages, physical harm, and threats.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2025
Luck and the university fired coach Troy Taylor last week after ESPN reported that he was twice investigated for his demeaning treatment of staffers — particularly women.
—Michael Nowels, Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2025
Had the supporter unloaded some scathing abuse, said something demeaning about his appearance, or insulted his family, such a reaction would have been warranted.
—Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
Very few severe crashes in Sacramento are followed by an arrest, and several survivors of crashes have previously said that soft or nonexistent charges were frustrating and demeaning.
—Ariane Lange, Sacramento Bee, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demeaning
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Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2025
Luck and the university fired coach Troy Taylor last week after ESPN reported that he was twice investigated for his demeaning treatment of staffers — particularly women.
—Michael Nowels, Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2025
Had the supporter unloaded some scathing abuse, said something demeaning about his appearance, or insulted his family, such a reaction would have been warranted.
—Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
Very few severe crashes in Sacramento are followed by an arrest, and several survivors of crashes have previously said that soft or nonexistent charges were frustrating and demeaning.
—Ariane Lange, Sacramento Bee, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demeaning
Cite this Entry
“Demeaning.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/demeaning. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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