demoralize

English

Alternative forms

• demoralise (non-Oxford British English)

Etymology

From French démoraliser.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /dɪˈmɒɹəlaɪz/

Verb

demoralize (third-person singular simple present demoralizes, present participle demoralizing, simple past and past participle demoralized) (transitive, American spelling, Oxford British English)

1. To destroy the morale of; to dishearten.
2. (dated) To erode the moral adherence of; to corrupt.
   • 1915 December (date written), [George] Bernard Shaw, “Androcles and the Lion. Preface on the Prospects of Christianity.”, in Androcles and the Lion, Overruled, Pygmalion, London: Constable and Company, published 1916, →OCLC, page xxix:

     [I]f you convert a man brought up in another creed, you inevitably demoralize him.

   • 1913, Carl Schurz, Speeches, correspondence and political papers of Carl Schurz, volume IV, To Henry C. Bowen, August 6th, 1884, page 272:

     The election of a man like Mr. Blaine would be such an encouragement to the base and rapacious impulses apt to govern the conduct of politicians, it would so demoralize the public mind and open the floodgates of corruption so wide, that it is no exaggeration to say the success of our free institutions is at stake.

Translations

to destroy morale; to dishearten

• Catalan: desmoralitzar (ca)
• Czech: demoralizovat
• Danish: demoralisere
• Esperanto: demoralizi
• French: démoraliser (fr)
• German: demoralisieren (de)
• Greek: αποκαρδιώνω (el) (apokardióno)
• Italian: demoralizzare (it)
• Luxembourgish: demoraliséieren
• Maori: whakakiwakiwa
• Spanish: desmoralizar (es), comer la moral (colloquial)
• Swedish: demoralisera (sv)
• Turkish: demoralize etmek (tr), moralini bozmak (tr)
• Ukrainian: деморалізовувати impf (demoralizovuvaty), деморалізувати pf (demoralizuvaty)

Turkish

Etymology

From French démoralisé, past participle of démoraliser.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /de.mɔ.ɾa.li.ze/

Adjective

demoralize

1. demoralized

Derived terms

• demoralize etmek (“to demoralize”)