as in insulting
intended to make a person or thing seem of little importance or value
demanded an apology for his demeaning comments
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in degrading
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in humiliating
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 behaving
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of demeaning
Chris Brennan, USA Today, 27 June 2025
But the racial order of the day also made these jobs, which were physically challenging to begin with, especially demeaning, humiliating, and fraught with danger.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 21 June 2025
Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for demeaning
Adjective
Trump tried to claim that media reports about his administration’s early conclusions were somehow demeaning attacks on the performance of our military.
—Chris Brennan, USA Today, 27 June 2025
But the racial order of the day also made these jobs, which were physically challenging to begin with, especially demeaning, humiliating, and fraught with danger.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 21 June 2025
Verb
Y’all the only era that feel like demeaning the dead and saying that sh*t is cool, my ni**a.
—Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for demeaning
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demeaning
Adjective
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Mimicking the president's style on social media, the governor has posted in all caps and employed insulting nicknames for political opponents.—
Jordan King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Aug. 2025
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Those found guilty of criticizing, insulting, defaming or threatening the king, queen, or heir apparent can be jailed for between three and 15 years for each count, with some sentences stretching to 50 years.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Some users bragged about allegedly assaulting or blackmailing women and encouraged others to insult the women shown in photos with degrading language.—
CNN Staff 20 hr ago,
CNN Money,
24 Aug. 2025
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In a degrading battery, the researchers observed two key signs of trouble.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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If bad blood existed or Devers made a derogatory comment, that’s different.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
6 Sep. 2025
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Kilmar Abrego Garcia's legal team asked a federal judge on Thursday to issue a gag order blocking Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem from making derogatory comments about him in public.—
Sonam Sheth
Anna Commander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, which potentially accesses your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Sep. 2025
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When Tony's security company faces an attack from unknown malicious forces, the family goes on the run across Europe while figuring out who is after them, according to Paramount.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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And there would be lots of soldiers around, either Army or National Guard, and the people who were civilians would be young people, very disparaging about the military.—
Steve Baltin,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
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The 2023 Economic Report Of The President published in March of 2023 was relatively disparaging of cryptoassets and DLTs.—
Lawrence Wintermeyer,
Forbes,
5 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The abusive father and violent end were a little above our collective pay grade, and paired very poorly with tea and Girl Scout cookies.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
8 Sep. 2025
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Hsiao-lee’s abusive parents constantly keep her on the edge.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The intensity of Irish expressions of solidarity in 2024 caused one pro-Israel commentator, Ben Cohen, to coin the term Paddystinian as a derisive epithet to counter the narrative, conflating the pejorative stereotype of the drunken Paddy with Palestine.—
Philip Metres
August 27,
Literary Hub,
27 Aug. 2025
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In fact, locals use a different (and pejorative) term for the other versions: arroz con cosas, or rice with things.—
Sofia Perez,
Forbes.com,
10 July 2025
Adjective
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Neither party admitted to liability and each agreed to refrain from making disparaging, negative or uncomplimentary statements about the other, the document said.—
Lorraine Mirabella,
Baltimore Sun,
29 July 2022
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Though the pollen gunk will pass, he's concerned by a contingent of Twitter trolls who've shared uncomplimentary reviews of his recent North American tour.—
Jordan Runtagh,
PEOPLE.com,
21 Jan. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Demeaning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demeaning. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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