as in reduced
to bring to a lower grade or rank
the court-martial's decision was to demote the officer responsible for the failed mission
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Recent Examples of demoted
Once in a rare while, a person who was once heroically famous is demoted to infamous, and his statues disappear.
—
Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
Always an oddity as a planet, Pluto was demoted to dwarf planet in 2006.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
Walker, 32, appeared as a senior deckhand on the Bravo show before he was demoted by fellow cast member Kelley Johnson after clashing with coworkers.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026
On Wednesday, Johnson demoted CHA Board Chair Matthew Brewer, saying the process that led to Pettigrew's appointment violated state law.
—Cbs Chicago Team, CBS News, 1 Apr. 2026
Instead, Kim was demoted to the minor leagues, as the Dodgers decided to keep up youngster Alex Freeland and veteran Santiago Espinal over him.
—Tyler Erzberger, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2026
He was eventually demoted to Triple-A on June 18 and did not appear in the majors again.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 28 Mar. 2026
Colby is a 2025 seventh-round pick who was demoted after making six starts last year.
—Eric Branch, San Francisco Chronicle, 25 Mar. 2026
After all, his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, demoted him as a working royal but didn’t do much else and provided him with the money to pay a settlement to Virginia Giuffre.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 18 Mar. 2026
Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
Always an oddity as a planet, Pluto was demoted to dwarf planet in 2006.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
Walker, 32, appeared as a senior deckhand on the Bravo show before he was demoted by fellow cast member Kelley Johnson after clashing with coworkers.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026
On Wednesday, Johnson demoted CHA Board Chair Matthew Brewer, saying the process that led to Pettigrew's appointment violated state law.
—Cbs Chicago Team, CBS News, 1 Apr. 2026
Instead, Kim was demoted to the minor leagues, as the Dodgers decided to keep up youngster Alex Freeland and veteran Santiago Espinal over him.
—Tyler Erzberger, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2026
He was eventually demoted to Triple-A on June 18 and did not appear in the majors again.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 28 Mar. 2026
Colby is a 2025 seventh-round pick who was demoted after making six starts last year.
—Eric Branch, San Francisco Chronicle, 25 Mar. 2026
After all, his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, demoted him as a working royal but didn’t do much else and provided him with the money to pay a settlement to Virginia Giuffre.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 18 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demoted
Verb
-
The character, played by Esteban Andres Cruz, has been reduced to a simpering stereotype who makes a pass at a cop and mimics a blow job.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Seen from this perspective, ecology cannot be reduced to questions of proximity alone.—
Manuela Moscoso,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In February, the judge overseeing the case dismissed several claims against the bank, but let stand two others.—
Chase Jordan,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Far too often, symptoms such as fatigue, swelling, shortness of breath and nerve pain are misdiagnosed or dismissed.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The pieces were on loan from a Bucharest museum, whose head was promptly sacked for lending the works out in the first place.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The town was sacked and burned by the Portuguese in 1531.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Demoted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demoted. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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