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

Despite being outnumbered and outmaneuvered, Washington maintained order among his demoralized troops. — Christopher Magra, The Conversation, 10 Feb. 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 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 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 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

In their first national title game, the Wildcats humiliated Oklahoma in the national semifinal by 44, and in their second, demoralized Michigan in the title game by 17. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2026 This demoralized his troops, who promptly fled or surrendered. — Tamanna Nangia, Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 Aug. 2026 There was concern that demoralized and impoverished Europeans—artists and intellectuals especially—would be drawn to the blandishments of the Soviet Union. — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026 Nelson, demoralized by the trade, missed nine games that season due to illness and resigned under pressure three months later in February 1995. — John Raby, Chicago Tribune, 9 Aug. 2026 Nelson, demoralized by the trade, missed nine games that season because of illness and resigned under pressure three months later in February 1995. — John Raby, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 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 Colorado looked nothing like the team that demoralized opponents all year with its offensive and defensive prowess. — Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 27 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for demoralized

Adjective

Perhaps building on degraded land, sharing space with agriculture, and designing eco-friendly infrastructure.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2026
Meanwhile, degraded working conditions—see, the adjunctification discourse—make academic professionalization less and less sustainable.

— Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of degraded

Verb

Idea futures would undermine the institutional clout of skeptical old physicists with tenure—monetizing, promoting, and rewarding bold claims discouraged by mainstream consensus.

— Finn Brunton, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026
Washington has discouraged Chinese firms from investing in the United States and expanded the list of American products that cannot be exported to China.

— Chad P. Bown, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of discouraged

Verb

In their first national title game, the Wildcats humiliated Oklahoma in the national semifinal by 44, and in their second, demoralized Michigan in the title game by 17.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2026
After being publicly humiliated by Daemon Targaryen and lured to switch sides (with his dragon) to the Greens by Ormund Hightower, party animal Ulf is still drunk and MIA when the battle starts.

— Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of humiliated

Adjective

And Alice’s superior, FBI agent Nora Washington (Quincy Tyler Bernstine), realizes that her corrupt boss Ed George (Danny McCarthy), who was covering up Easton’s crimes, will retain his ASAC position at the FBI.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2026
That strategy allowed the Kremlin to publicly deny the existence of political repression while portraying the opposition as inherently corrupt.

— Andrei Soldatov, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of corrupt

Verb

She was specifically frustrated with Sol claiming Bryce pulled Kayda for a chat four or five times in the villa, despite being coupled up with Trinity.

— Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 2026
As a sports bettor, there are a lot of people frustrated by these two teams and pitchers from this season as the Giants take on the Pirates.

— David Troy OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of frustrated

Verb

Today, the yen has weakened 57% from a low of about 103 in January 2021 to a high of 163 in July, before a rare joint intervention from both Washington and Tokyo strengthened the currency to its current levels of about 160.

— Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026
Sprout Social's 2026 Influencer Marketing Report found that recommendation feeds have weakened the link between follower count and reach.

— Zoe Huang, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of weakened

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“Demoralized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demoralized. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of demoralized

adjective

verb

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