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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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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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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Examples of demoralize in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The intention, say US and Ukrainian officials, is multifaceted, in part to disrupt and demoralize Russian forces and in part to divert Russian forces away from other parts of the eastern front.
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Allegra Goodwin, CNN, 8 Aug. 2024
Committing 11 turnovers isn’t demoralizing, but the Fever went the other way and scored 20 points off them, compared with just 10 points off turnovers for the Mystics.
—Kareem Copeland, Washington Post, 20 June 2024
Even on the demoralizing issue of Gaza, there will be a significant difference between Trump and the Democratic nominee.
—Robert Repino, Baltimore Sun, 26 July 2024
But Harris’ entry into the race injected a shot of energy and money into what had become a demoralizing Democratic presidential campaign.
—Kizzy Cox, Essence, 23 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for demoralize 
Allegra Goodwin, CNN, 8 Aug. 2024
Committing 11 turnovers isn’t demoralizing, but the Fever went the other way and scored 20 points off them, compared with just 10 points off turnovers for the Mystics.
—Kareem Copeland, Washington Post, 20 June 2024
Even on the demoralizing issue of Gaza, there will be a significant difference between Trump and the Democratic nominee.
—Robert Repino, Baltimore Sun, 26 July 2024
But Harris’ entry into the race injected a shot of energy and money into what had become a demoralizing Democratic presidential campaign.
—Kizzy Cox, Essence, 23 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for demoralize
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'demoralize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Demoralize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demoralize. Accessed 29 Sep. 2024.
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