demean
1 Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
verb
Etymology
Origin of demean1
1595–1605; de- + mean 2, modeled on debase
Origin of demean2
1250–1300; Middle English deme ( i ) nen < Anglo-French, Old French demener, equivalent to de- de- + mener to lead, conduct < Latin mināre to drive, minārī to threaten
Explanation
To demean someone is to insult them. To demean is to degrade or put down a person or thing. If you noticed the word mean in demean, that's a good clue to its meaning. To demean someone is very mean. You are demeaning your sister or brother if you run their underwear up a flagpole. A teacher could demean a student by saying "You're stupid!" To demean is to insult: no one wants to be demeaned. Insulting language is often called demeaning. We can also say a bad president demeaned his office.
Vocabulary lists containing demean
ACT Vocabulary List
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Hunger Games
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Wednesday Wars
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
"Germany objects to use of terms and comparison related to Nazi Germany that are historically, politically and morally wrong because they demean the victims and raise false implications," he said in a recent X post.
From Barron's • Oct. 19, 2025
The work of philanthropy, then, isn’t to command or correct—and it certainly isn’t to demean and disparage.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 17, 2025
From Amazon forcing workers to urinate in bottles to Walmart penalizing employees for taking sick days, employers everywhere use and abuse their authority in the workplace to humiliate, demean, and harass workers.
From Salon • Mar. 28, 2025
It made it illegal to "write, send, or share any information through a computer, which is likely to ridicule, degrade, or demean another person, group of persons, a tribe, an ethnicity, a religion or gender".
From BBC • Nov. 18, 2024
“I refuse to let those folks in that office demean me because I have the audacity to ask for help.”
From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas
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.
