Demoralize

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Demoralize \De*mor"al*ize\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Demoralized};
     p. pr. & vb. n. {Demoralizing}.] [F. d['e]moraliser; pref.
     d['e]- (L. dis- or de) + moraliser. See {Moralize}.]
     To corrupt or undermine in morals; to destroy or lessen the
     effect of moral principles on; to render corrupt or
     untrustworthy in morals, in discipline, in courage, spirit,


     etc.; to weaken in spirit or efficiency.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           The demoralizing example of profligate power and
           prosperous crime.                        --Walsh.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           The vices of the nobility had demoralized the army.
                                                    --Bancroft.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  demoralize
       v 1: corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality; "debauch
            the young people with wine and women"; "Socrates was
            accused of corrupting young men"; "Do school counselors
            subvert young children?"; "corrupt the morals" [syn: {corrupt},
             {pervert}, {subvert}, {demoralise}, {debauch}, {debase},
             {profane}, {vitiate}, {deprave}, {misdirect}]
       2: lower someone's spirits; make downhearted; "These news
          depressed her"; "The bad state of her child's health
          demoralizes her" [syn: {depress}, {deject}, {cast down}, {get
          down}, {dismay}, {dispirit}, {demoralise}] [ant: {elate}]
       3: confuse or put into disorder; "the boss's behavior
          demoralized everyone in the office"

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  75 Moby Thesaurus words for "demoralize":
     agitate, bastardize, bewilder, bludgeon, bluster, bluster out of,
     browbeat, brutalize, bulldoze, bully, chill, confuse, corrupt, cow,
     cripple, crush, damp, dampen, dash, daunt, debase, debauch,
     debilitate, defeat, defile, deject, deprave, depress, devitalize,
     disarrange, discomfit, disconcert, discourage, dishearten,
     disorder, disorganize, disparage, dispirit, disturb, dragoon,
     enervate, fluster, harass, hector, huff, intimidate, jumble,
     knock down, muddle, overcome, perturb, pervert, prostrate,
     psych out, rattle, shake, shake up, snarl, soil, subdue, sully,
     systematically terrorize, terrorize, threaten, unbrace, undermine,
     undo, unman, unnerve, unsettle, unstring, upset, vitiate, warp,
     weaken