demoralize

American  

[dih-mawr-uh-lahyz, -mor-] / dɪˈmɔr əˌlaɪz, -ˈmɒr- /

especially British, demoralise

verb (used with object)

demoralized, demoralizing

1. to deprive (a person or persons) of spirit, courage, discipline, etc.; destroy the morale of.

   The continuous barrage demoralized the infantry.

2. to throw (a person) into disorder or confusion; bewilder.

   We were so demoralized by that one wrong turn that we were lost for hours.

3. to corrupt or undermine the morals of.

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demoralize British  

/ dɪˈmɒrəˌlaɪz /

verb

1. to undermine the morale of; dishearten

   he was demoralized by his defeat

2. to debase morally; corrupt

3. to throw into confusion

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Other Word Forms

• demoralization
  noun
• demoralizer
  noun
• demoralizingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of demoralize

From the French word démoraliser, dating back to 1785–95. See de-, moral, -ize

Explanation

If something demoralizes you, it makes you feel bad or hopeless. When your soccer team was trounced by the last-place team in the league, the loss seemed to demoralize everyone, from players to coaches to fans. Demoralize can also mean what it looks like, "to remove the morals of." For example, parents worry that R-rated movies will demoralize their children. In other words, they fear kids will lose their sense of what's right and wrong if they see glamorous actors indulging in bad behavior.

Related Words

• dampen
• daunt
• debilitate
• deject
• disconcert
• discourage
• dishearten
• disorganize
• dispirit
• disturb
• embarrass
• sap
• undermine
• unsettle
• upset
• weaken