demoralize

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

Also spelled demoralise

US /dɪˈmɔrəlaɪz/ UK /dɪˈmɒrəlaɪz/ See IPA manual

verb

Meanings

1

verb
to weaken the confidence, morale, or resolve of someone

Repeated defeats began to demoralize even the most seasoned troops.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to weaken the confidence,... dishearten discourage dispirit daunt unnerve deject cripple

Opposites

encourage embolden hearten inspire invigorate

Word family

Forms demoralised

Derived forms demoralizationdemoralizeddemoralizing

Related forms moral morale morality

Etymology

From French démoraliser, formed from the prefix dé- ('removal, reversal') plus moral, from Latin moralis ('relating to manners or morals'), from mos ('custom').

de- Latin moralis Latin mos Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes Word Formation & Derivatives

# demoralize

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** dɪˈmɔrəlaɪz
**IPA (UK):** dɪˈmɒrəlaɪz

## Meanings
1. to weaken the confidence, morale, or resolve of someone

## Examples
- Repeated defeats began to demoralize even the most seasoned troops.

## Synonyms
- dishearten
- discourage
- dispirit
- daunt
- unnerve
- deject
- cripple

## Antonyms
- encourage
- embolden
- hearten
- inspire
- invigorate

## Derived Forms
- demoralization
- demoralized
- demoralizing

## Related Forms
- moral
- morale
- morality

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: de-
- Root: moralis
- Root: mos

## Etymology
From French démoraliser, formed from the prefix dé- ('removal, reversal') plus moral, from Latin moralis ('relating to manners or morals'), from mos ('custom').

## AI Etymology
Demoralize is from French démoraliser, formed from the prefix dé- ('removal, reversal') plus moral, from Latin moralis ('relating to manners or morals'), from mos ('custom'). Important recorded forms include de- (Latin), moralis (Latin), and mos (Latin). Morphologically, the word is a built form whose named elements carry part of the historical sense. The current sense covers to weaken the confidence, morale, or resolve of someone. The wider family includes derived forms such as demoralization, demoralized, and demoralizing and related words such as moral, morale, and morality.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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demoralize

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