demoralize
Americanverb (used with object)
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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
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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
A heavy loss of seats could demoralize the party faithful and panic Tory lawmakers, who fear that they will be tossed out of Parliament in the general election.
From New York Times ● May 3, 2024
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
They were younger, coarser men who enforced every niggling regulation, whose job was to harass and demoralize us.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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
"I feel like that demoralizes a defense," said Thomas.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 24, 2012
It demoralizes the poor, and weakens public confidence in wise and good charities.
From The Dangerous Classes of New York And Twenty Years' Work Among Them by Brace, Charles Loring
Now, after that latest detention, Garcia Venegas sounds demoralized.
From Salon ● May 24, 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
It’s a tall task given the agency’s demoralized condition.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 8, 2026
“We were fragmented and demoralized, and then someone came along and imprisoned the person responsible for all of that,” Suárez said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 12, 2026
But nothing more had been seen of the strange rabbit; and the loss of Mallow, with nothing to show for it, had upset and demoralized the Owsla a good deal.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
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
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
Interviewing is such a demoralizing process, especially when you get those sort of rug-pull questions.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 16, 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.
