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Demoralize: meaning, definitions and examples

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demoralize

 

[ dɪˈmɔːrəˌlaɪz ]

Verb
Context #1 | Verb

feeling down

To demoralize someone is to make them lose confidence or hope, usually by criticizing or making them feel discouraged.

Synonyms

discourage, dishearten, dismay

Examples of usage

  • He was demoralized by the constant criticism from his boss.
  • The team was demoralized after losing the championship game.

Translations

Translations of the word "demoralize" in other languages:

🇵🇹 desmoralizar

🇮🇳 मनोबल गिराना

🇩🇪 entmutigen

🇮🇩 mematahkan semangat

🇺🇦 деморалізувати

🇵🇱 zdemoralizować

🇯🇵 士気をくじく

🇫🇷 démoraliser

🇪🇸 desmoralizar

🇹🇷 moralini bozmak

🇰🇷 사기를 꺾다

🇸🇦 إحباط

🇨🇿 demoralizovat

🇸🇰 demoralizovať

🇨🇳 使士气低落

🇸🇮 demoralizirati

🇮🇸 draga úr kjarki

🇰🇿 моральдық рухын түсіру

🇬🇪 დემორალიზაცია

🇦🇿 mənəviyyatını pozmaq

🇲🇽 desmoralizar

Etymology

The word 'demoralize' has its roots in the French word 'démoraliser', which means 'to undermine morale'. It first appeared in English in the early 19th century. The prefix 'de-' indicates a reversal or removal, while 'moralize' comes from the Latin 'moralis', meaning 'pertaining to morals or character'. Over time, 'demoralize' has come to describe the act of breaking down someone's morale or spirit.

See also: amoral, demoralized, immoral, immorality, immorally, moral, moralistic, morality, moralize, moralizing, morally, morals.

Word Frequency Rank

This word's position of #31,507 indicates it's among the more rare English words. While understanding it broadens your vocabulary, focus on more common words first.