demoralize
Americanverb (used with object)
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demoralizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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demoralized,
past participle, past
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demoralizing
present participle
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to deprive (a person or persons) of spirit, courage, discipline, etc.; destroy the morale of.
The continuous barrage demoralized the infantry.
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to throw (a person) into disorder or confusion; bewilder.
We were so demoralized by that one wrong turn that we were lost for hours.
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to corrupt or undermine the morals of.
verb
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to undermine the morale of; dishearten
he was demoralized by his defeat
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to debase morally; corrupt
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to throw into confusion
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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demoralizesimple
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demoralizessimple
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have demoralizedperfect
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has demoralizedperfect
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am demoralizingprogressive
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are demoralizingprogressive
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is demoralizingprogressive
-
have been demoralizingperfect progressive
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has been demoralizingperfect progressive
Past
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demoralizedsimple
-
had demoralizedperfect
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was demoralizingprogressive
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were demoralizingprogressive
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had been demoralizingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing demoralize
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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
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The Secret Life of Bees
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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.
See Examples For:
It also would all but destroy Detroit’s immediate chances, demoralize the clubhouse and likely alienate a fan base desperate to see the Tigers win their first title since 1984.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 10, 2025
He then answered his own question: “It’s as if they only wanted to scare, hurt, and demoralize us.”
From Slate ● Feb. 13, 2025
Others, however, have said that such messaging may have no impact on behavior, or worse, that it may depress and demoralize the public into inaction.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 7, 2024
Dancers and their supporters accuse Star Garden management of pricing drinks and cover fees in bad faith in an effort to deter customers, demoralize dancers and weaken resolve in contract negotiations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2023
“I didn’t want to demoralize you too early in the game.”
From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina
In a world that often demoralizes rural Americans, and Appalachians in particular, it is imperative that we understand the value of our experience.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2025
None of this really demoralizes Im, who knows as well as anybody that his park is a gigantic money sink.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 12, 2024
“He’s a competitive guy when he puts the skates on. And I think it demoralizes the other team a little bit. They’re trying to play him hard.”
From Washington Times ● Jan. 10, 2022
How can someone who loves you be okay with leaving things around for you to clean up, knowing it demoralizes you?
From Washington Post ● Jul. 26, 2021
She comforted me by saying: "But after all, how much better that was than if he had announced, 'Kate Sanborn demoralizes.'"
From Memories and Anecdotes by Kate Sanborn
But when he and his coaching staff took over the U.S. team in the fall of 2024, following its disastrous performance in the Copa América, he said he inherited a demoralized, dispirited group.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
Now, after that latest detention, Garcia Venegas sounds demoralized.
From Salon ● May 24, 2026
Churchill wrote “My Early Life” for a generation demoralized by World War I and determined to break with its past.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 22, 2026
For this reason, according to the researchers, investors who are fans of a losing team will be more demoralized than the winning team’s fans will be exuberant.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 18, 2026
His officers had been demoralized by Kehaar’s unexpected attack.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
It’s unheard of, an abuse of power, and demoralizing to make senior leadership submit to testing en masse.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
Challenges like adjusting to a new language or learning unfamiliar customs and eating different foods can prove exhausting and demoralizing.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
The findings about the bat bridges were demoralizing for Altringham, who during his career appeared at several public inquiries into the impact of road-building projects on bats.
From Slate ● Apr. 28, 2026
Other times, the long wait for permanent housing proves demoralizing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 14, 2026
I tried to push Russell out of my mind, but my thoughts slid about, half focused on the demoralizing drama as George fell into poverty, half drifting to my own predicament.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
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.
