demeaning
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of demeaning
Explanation
The adjective demeaning describes something that lowers a person's reputation or dignity. If your boss always asks you to pick up her dry cleaning and get her coffee, you might feel like you usually get the demeaning jobs. The adjective demeaning comes from the verb demean, which itself is based on the construction of the word "debase." The word demean has two almost opposite meanings, to degrade and to conduct oneself in a particular manner, usually a proper one. The adjective, however, always describes something that is degrading. Overhearing two friends gossiping about you can be a demeaning experience, even if they're just criticizing your new haircut.
Vocabulary lists containing demeaning
Into the Wild
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Promises to Keep
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You Call This Democracy?
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Title IX was meant to combat demeaning and exclusionary sex stereotypes.
From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2026
"It was demeaning to those you owed a duty of care to. I do not expect you were naive in this matter. The public must have confidence in those who provide care," he said.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Bureaucrats have bristled at the term as misleading and demeaning.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2025
Losing your job might be demeaning, but losing your integrity for the shot at a job is dehumanizing.
From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2025
Big Bill, whom the Defender called “the spectacular, nervy Mayor of Chicago,” publicly spoke out against the slights that blacks found so demeaning, and made a great show of celebrating their successes.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
