1
as in to degrade
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
it demeans the political process to demand that candidates make promises that everyone knows are unrealistic
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to humiliate
to reduce to a lower standing in one's own eyes or in others' eyes
his statement was not meant to demean the group's hard work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to behave
to manage the actions of (oneself) in a particular way
I shall endeavor to demean myself with utmost respect when our pastor comes to visit
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of demean
Aniko Bodroghkozy, The Conversation, 24 Feb. 2026
The imagery was largely criticized for echoing long-standing racist tropes that have historically been used to demean Black Americans.
—Ana Ceballos
follow, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
With that framing, his followers could demean Black protesters and vilify federal agents and Jews, notably those who linked arms with their Black neighbors to demand equal rights — as the rabbi at Beth Israel had increasingly done before Bowers’ henchmen bombed his synagogue and then his home.
—Jennifer Berry Hawes, ProPublica, 4 Feb. 2026
The shrine is Canton is demeaned and the Class of ‘26 stained.
—Greg Cote
february 1, Miami Herald, 1 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for demean
Verb
Walsh and other right-wing commentators, along with comedian Ben Bankas, underscored Good’s sexuality to further demean her.
—Aniko Bodroghkozy, The Conversation, 24 Feb. 2026
The imagery was largely criticized for echoing long-standing racist tropes that have historically been used to demean Black Americans.
—Ana Ceballos
follow, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
With that framing, his followers could demean Black protesters and vilify federal agents and Jews, notably those who linked arms with their Black neighbors to demand equal rights — as the rabbi at Beth Israel had increasingly done before Bowers’ henchmen bombed his synagogue and then his home.
—Jennifer Berry Hawes, ProPublica, 4 Feb. 2026
The shrine is Canton is demeaned and the Class of ‘26 stained.
—Greg Cote
february 1, Miami Herald, 1 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for demean
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demean
Verb
-
The country’s ministry of culture and sports set out a series of rules and regulations which included no pyro, no face paint and no shouting of words that could be degrading towards any person on the field, not even the referee.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
-
The bones also were coated with a light layer of minerals from the surrounding seawater, which may have prevented them from degrading.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Bryan’s stumbling responses, under questioning from the legendary defense lawyer Clarence Darrow, left him humiliated.—
Michael Luo,
New Yorker,
14 June 2026
-
Diomande just humiliates fullbacks.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
By then, OpenAI had rolled out its GPT-4o model, which the lawsuit claims was designed to keep users hooked, and enabled ChatGPT to behave like an unlicensed therapist.—
Lauren Fichten,
CBS News,
11 June 2026
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The risk, Hedin argues, is that organisations begin to sound — and eventually behave — alike.—
Heather Farmbrough,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Verb
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Over the course of two summers, the Kings weakened the fulcrum of their roster by losing Matt Roy and Vladislav Gavrikov in free agency, then exacerbating matters by casting off Jordan Spence for a modest return.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
9 June 2026
-
The acid can etch, discolor, or weaken stone and concrete.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
9 June 2026
Verb
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News organizations have always faced scrutiny from targets frustrated by elements of their reporting, or looking to discredit those stories altogether.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
15 June 2026
-
Those accusations have long been discredited.—
Britannica Editors,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
10 June 2026
Verb
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The pressure is already building, not because anyone is choosing to merge the systems but because people are starting to carry insights from one AI into the other.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
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The diamonds finally arrived in April 2026, carrying a significance that went far beyond the finished stones themselves.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
Vanessa Rossetto has built her entire artistic practice out of subverting listeners’ expectations.—
Levi Dayan,
Pitchfork,
9 June 2026
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Seen through the lens of the Civil War and its aftermath, the piece subverts every expectation.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
8 June 2026
Verb
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Democratic congressional candidate Brad Lander was acquitted Thursday of criminal charges related to his arrest last September at a protest inside a building that houses one of New York City's immigration courts.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 June 2026
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The three-part series examines the pop star’s 2005 molestation trial, in which he was acquitted of all charges, and features key players from the trial, including jurors, eyewitnesses and prosecutors.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Demean.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demean. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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