demoralizes

verb

present tense third-person singular of demoralize
1
as in paralyzes
to deprive of courage or confidence the mere sight of the forbidding cliffs demoralized the climbers

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in discourages
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in degrades
to lower in character, dignity, or quality felt society as a whole has been demoralized by the widespread availability of pornography

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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 demoralizes This is not perfectionism, the impossible demand to be perfect humanly, which paralyzes and demoralizes. — Suzanne Riedel, Christian Science Monitor, 4 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demoralizes
  1. paralyzes
  2. discourages
  3. degrades
  4. frightens
  5. frustrates
  6. humiliates
  7. terrifies
  8. corrupts
Verb
  • Kosowski, prosecutors theorized, killed Cozzi with succinylcholine, a fast-acting drug that paralyzes muscles, and threw his body in a Collier County dumpster during a drive to Miami.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2026
  • The wasp gets its name from its reproductive cycle, where a female paralyzes a tarantula to serve as a live host for her larva.
    — Sean Donnelly, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of paralyzes
Verb
  • Arizona’s suit said the chatbot pushes teens to share personal information and at times discourages them from telling parents, authorities or friends.
    — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2026
  • But others support the changes, saying the more car-centric configuration discourages pedestrians and cyclists while making traffic more dangerous.
    — Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of discourages
Verb
  • At rates exceeding the cap, the internet degrades and is no longer usable.
    — Aidan Stretch, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • My observations have been that when human capital is treated as a purely algorithmic input, workplace culture degrades and strategic talent development stops.
    — Syed Ahmad, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of degrades
Verb
  • The prospect of Sean Steur or Lewis Hall — whose contract situation Wilson refused to be drawn on, despite being asked three times — leaving is not something which frightens the hierarchy.
    — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Penelope, too, is asked to occupy a landscape that frightens her, not only as a neurodivergent child in a neurotypical culture, but as a child now situated in an adult world.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of frightens
Verb
  • If finding a parking space frustrates you, prospective residents may feel the same way.
    — Elie Rieder, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Maybe that is why this political language frustrates me so much.
    — Angelette C. Aviles, Baltimore Sun, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of frustrates
Verb
  • Filming a scene in which Isaiah humiliates Cam, Withers asked Wayans to crack jokes about Kionte’s death — the defining event of Withers’ life, and his lowest point.
    — Daniel D'Addario, Variety, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Diomande just humiliates fullbacks.
    — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 12 June 2026
Definition of humiliates
Verb
  • Watch On In this Canadian cult classic that doubles as a coming-of-age story, a sardonic goth transforms into a werewolf in the days leading up to Halloween and terrifies her younger sister.
    — David Faris, TheWeek, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Black Palace is set in 1888 London as an emerging tabloid media terrifies the public with lurid stories of infamous serial killer Jack the Ripper.
    — Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of terrifies
Verb
  • Forgetting his bond with the land, Mariano awakens the Ch’iqmi, a dark force that corrupts his people.
    — Kevin Giraud, Variety, 25 June 2026
  • One nanny will try to get to the bottom of it before all the partying, power and privilege corrupts her.
    — Denise Petski, Deadline, 21 Apr. 2026
Definition of corrupts

Browse Nearby Words

demoralized
demoralizes
demoralizing
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Demoralizes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demoralizes. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of reticent

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All