What does demoralise mean?
To demoralise is to strip away someone's confidence, hope, or will to carry on. The word is typically applied to people and groups — soldiers, employees, students, athletes — who lose their fighting spirit after sustained setbacks such as defeat, hardship, criticism, or neglect. A demoralised workforce may stop caring about quality; a demoralised army may lose the will to fight at all. The term entered English in the late eighteenth century from French, where it described the collapse of military morale during the Revolutionary wars, and it retains something of that martial gravity even in everyday use. It is largely formal or journalistic in register, common in reporting on institutions, politics, and sport. British English spells it with -ise; American English uses demoralize. Related words include morale, moral, and demoralisation, all tracing back through French to Latin moralis, meaning 'of manners or customs'.
verbTo cause someone to lose confidence, hope, or morale; to deprive a person or group of their spirit, courage, or determination.
- To sap someone's confidence, courage, or sense of purpose, leaving them discouraged or unable to act effectively.
"Months of unpaid wages had demoralised the entire workforce."
"The team's crushing defeat in the final demoralised them for the rest of the season."
"Constant criticism from her manager slowly demoralised her until she stopped volunteering ideas altogether."
When French troops mutinied in the 1790s, their commanders blamed it on losing their 'morale' — and English borrowed the verb for that very collapse of fighting spirit.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of demoralise
Demoralise derives from the French 'démoraliser', coined during the French Revolutionary era to describe the loss of morale among troops. It combines the prefix 'de-' (indicating removal or reversal) with 'morale', itself from Italian 'morale' and ultimately Latin 'moralis', meaning 'relating to manners or character'. English adopted the verb around the 1790s, initially in military contexts before broadening to civilian use. Its cognates include 'moral', 'morale', and 'moralise', all descending from the same Latin root.
Related word forms
How demoralise is actually used
Primarily used with people or groups (teams, staff, soldiers) rather than objects. The British spelling '-ise' is standard in the UK, Australia, and much of the Commonwealth; American English uses 'demoralize'. The word carries strongly negative connotations and often appears in contexts of prolonged hardship rather than single events.
Easily confused with demoralise
'Demoralise' is simply the British spelling of 'demoralize', which is preferred in American English — the meanings are identical.