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
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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:
As a culture, we probably do create unreasonable, sentimental expectations around family that depress and demoralize vast numbers of people.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2025
But the obvious goal is to demoralize federal workers across the board.
From Slate ● Jan. 31, 2025
Dancers accused Star Garden management of introducing arbitrary rules and implementing high drink prices and cover fees in bad faith in an effort to deter customers, demoralize dancers and weaken resolve in contract negotiations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2024
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
“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
“It demoralizes the workforce ... you got substandard classes,” you said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2022
“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
When the Vancouver Canucks go 17 minutes without a shot and then score on their first chance, that demoralizes a team.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 12, 2021
He who treats it seriously, as a thing that, more than any other, demoralizes, discourages and paralyzes millions, is regarded as “sensational,” “emotional,” or an “alarmist.”
From The New Avatar and The Destiny of the Soul The Findings of Natural Science Reduced to Practical Studies in Psychology by J. D. (Jirah Dewey) Buck
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
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
But he was dismayed by the abrupt layoffs in April that left FDA staff demoralized, he said, with some crying in the hallways.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 14, 2026
When meaningful change fails to materialize following the achievement of superficial diversity, those who remain locked out can become extremely discouraged and demoralized, resulting in cynicism and resignation.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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
The author, who once sported a 6 handicap, experienced diminished swing, ball and foot speed, making golf demoralizing from middle tees.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 2026
Inside the Justice Department, the resolution was demoralizing: “He’s admitted he owes money, and we get money, but everything else about it stinks to high heaven,” said a current DOJ official familiar with the case.
From Salon ● Jan. 23, 2026
A miscarriage is lonely, painful, and demoralizing almost on a cellular level.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
