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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This clarity prevents the confusion about who's in charge that often paralyzes organizations.—
Jennifer J. Fondrevay,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2025
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The closures have angered local business owners and caused congestion on detour routes that frequently paralyzes the streets of Wharton along with surrounding communities in Morris County.—
Jared Kofsky,
ABC News,
17 May 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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Democrats have said the Trump administration is trying to intimidate them out of performing their role overseeing how the executive branch implements laws.—
Sarah D. Wire,
USA Today,
23 May 2025
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The guys who are willing to intimidate by hurting people will always win.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
21 May 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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Israel has significantly weakened Hezbollah over the past year, killing much of its top leadership and severely degrading its power through mass airstrikes.—
Mostafa Salem,
CNN Money,
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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By sharing a visual insight into their space, Spencer hopes people won’t be frightened by the unknown.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
22 May 2025
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Meanwhile, in the real world, Netflix’s release strategy continues to frighten and confuse.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
19 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 6 Jun. 2025.
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