DEMORALIZED Synonyms: 209 Similar and Opposite Words

demoralized 1 of 2

adjective

as in degraded

having or showing lowered moral character or standards a demoralized nation that had forgotten the values that once made it great

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demoralized

2 of 2

verb

past tense of demoralize

as in paralyzed

to deprive of courage or confidence the mere sight of the forbidding cliffs demoralized the climbers

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as in discouraged

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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as in humiliated

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 are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of demoralized

Adjective

There’s sort of a demoralized aura around the program these days. — Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026 But a new study has found that such workplace jargon may be doing more harm than good—making employees feel confused, demoralized and less likely to collaborate with their coworkers. — Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025 Iraqi units were so demoralized and disorganized that, in one now-famous incident, a group of soldiers surrendered to an unmanned Pioneer drone. — David A. Deptula, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026 The Democratic Party has funneled all the fury of its demoralized and humiliated voter base into a focal point centered on immigration policy. — Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 21 Jan. 2026 Despite being outnumbered and outmaneuvered, Washington maintained order among his demoralized troops. — Christopher Magra, The Conversation, 10 Feb. 2026 The octogenarian trying to reach a new generation of voters amid a demoralized Democratic Party is a stark juxtaposition. — Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2025

Verb

Colorado looked nothing like the team that demoralized opponents all year with its offensive and defensive prowess. — Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 27 May 2026 Sanders works as a counselor in Tucson, Arizona, and lately, the toxicity he’s been hearing has demoralized him. — Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 21 June 2026 Now, after that latest detention, Garcia Venegas sounds demoralized. — Nicole Foy, ProPublica, 15 May 2026 Today everyday Texans are feeling stressed about the economy, demoralized by an administration that is trampling on our constitution, and fearful that our government is broken beyond repair. — Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 May 2026 After the Knicks had already demoralized the Sixers three times too many, there was still time on the clock for one more haymaker, one more seismic punch to put Philadelphia, already on the ropes far sooner than its fan base had anticipated, out for good. — Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 5 May 2026 What Russians feel Despite Putin’s resilience and his benefitting from the war in Iran, public sentiment within Russia is increasingly demoralized. — Anna Nemtsova, Time, 23 May 2026 The board has come under fire from the Oakland Police Officers Association and pro-police activists who assert that the commission has hampered officers’ ability to fight crime and demoralized the department resulting in understaffing. — Richard Halstead, Mercury News, 9 May 2026 Where Barbie was forced to reconsider Barbieland’s values after paying a visit to the real world, Adam is forced to uphold the real world’s values after being zapped back to a fantasyland whose greatest warriors have been utterly demoralized by their insufficient physical force. — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 2 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for demoralized

Adjective

Faster delivery with degraded quality just accelerates technical debt and erodes user trust.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Her days are spent growing coral fragments in nurseries, cleaning restoration structures, managing coral predators and transplanting coral onto degraded reefs.

— Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026

Definition of degraded

Adjective

Harry and the six other high-profile claimants failed to prove their allegations that the publisher unlawfully obtained private information through methods including private investigators, deception, phone hacking and corrupt payments.

— Erin Hill, PEOPLE, 7 July 2026
After all, this was FIFA, the infamously corrupt governing body of international soccer that seems to function not based on its rulebook but on the whims of a few guys in a room.

— Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 7 July 2026

Definition of corrupt

Verb

At the time of writing, as the Marine Traffic map shows, tanker traffic is barely moving through the Strait, and many ships, unable to obtain insurance or with their owners frightened at the level of risk involved, are refusing to advance.

— Ariel Cohen, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
But because the president has frightened Congress, Congress doesn’t raise its voice when the president puts his Albert Speer–like building project, or intends to, on Congress’s land.

— David Frum, The Atlantic, 1 July 2026

Definition of frightened

Verb

All three, the panel noted, have weakened or dropped earlier pledges to halt development on their own if certain red lines came into view, and in recent years softened their resistance to military uses.

— Harry Booth, Time, 7 July 2026
It is weakened by surprises, side channels, performative challenge and unclear authority.

— David Ribott, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Definition of weakened

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“Demoralized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demoralized. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of demoralized

adjective

verb

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