demote C2+ Topic:Space, Position & Direction US /dɪˈmoʊt/ UK /dɪˈməʊt/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 verb to reduce to a lower rank or position They demoted him from manager to assistant after the error. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 verb · to reduce to a lower rank... downgraderelegatelowerdegradebust ↔ Opposites promoteelevateupgradeadvance Word family Derived forms demotiondemoteddemoting Related forms promotemotionremote Etymology AI details A late 19th-century American formation from de- ('down') plus the -mote of promote, from Latin movere ('to move'). de- Latin movere Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Space, Position & Direction External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # demote **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** verb **IPA (US):** /dɪˈmoʊt/ **IPA (UK):** /dɪˈməʊt/ ## Meanings 1. to reduce to a lower rank or position ## Examples - They demoted him from manager to assistant after the error. ## Synonyms - downgrade - relegate - lower - degrade - bust ## Antonyms - promote - elevate - upgrade - advance ## Derived Forms - demotion - demoted - demoting ## Related Forms - promote - motion - remote ## Roots and Affixes - Root: de- - Root: movere ## Etymology A late 19th-century American formation from de- ('down') plus the -mote of promote, from Latin movere ('to move'). ## AI Etymology Demote is a late 19th-century American formation from de- ('down') plus the -mote of promote, from Latin movere ('to move'). The historical trail runs through Latin de- and Latin movere. Morphologically, the surface form is analyzable into prefixes, suffixes, compounds, or participial endings that carry part of the history. In modern use it means to reduce to a lower rank or position. Derived formations include demotion, demoted, demoting; related forms include promote, motion, remote. ## Topics - Space, Position & Direction markdown