What does demoralising mean?
'Demoralising' describes anything that drains a person's confidence, hope, or determination — a force that wears down the spirit rather than merely disappointing it. Used chiefly as an adjective (and originally as the present participle of the verb 'to demoralise'), it appears most often before nouns such as 'defeat', 'effect', or 'experience': a demoralising loss can leave a team unable to compete, and a demoralising work environment can sap an employee's motivation over time. The word derives from French 'démoraliser', combining the prefix 'de-' (removal) with 'morale', meaning a person's mental or emotional strength. Its connotations are strongly negative and its register is somewhat formal, though it appears frequently in journalism, sports commentary, and everyday complaint alike. British English spells it with an '-s-', American English with a '-z-'. Related forms include 'demoralise', 'demoralised', and 'demoralisation'.
adjective (present participle of the verb demoralise)Causing someone to lose confidence, hope, or morale; disheartening or discouraging to the point of undermining a person's spirit or resolve.
- Tending to undermine confidence, hope, or fighting spirit; deeply disheartening.
- (Less common, as the verb's participle) The act of reducing someone's morale.
"The team suffered a demoralising defeat just days before the championship final."
"Months of rejected applications had a demoralising effect on her confidence."
"It was demoralising to watch the project unravel despite everyone's best efforts."
The word for crushing someone's spirit literally means 'de-moral-ising' — stripping away their 'moral' in the old sense of morale, their will to keep going.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of demoralising
'Demoralising' comes from the French verb 'démoraliser', formed from the prefix 'de-' (indicating removal or reversal) and 'morale', meaning a person's psychological strength or spirit. English adopted 'demoralise' around the turn of the nineteenth century, during a period when French military and political vocabulary entered the language. The root traces further back to Latin 'moralis', coined by Cicero from 'mos' (custom, character), which also gives English 'moral', 'morale', and 'morality'. Cognates appear across European languages, such as German 'demoralisieren' and Spanish 'desmoralizar'.
Related word forms
How demoralising is actually used
'Demoralising' carries a strongly negative connotation and is common in British English, where '-ise' spellings are standard; American English typically uses 'demoralizing'. It is slightly formal in register but widely used in journalism, sport, and workplace contexts. It describes something that erodes morale gradually as often as something that crushes it suddenly.
Easily confused with demoralising
'Immoralising' is a rare word meaning making something immoral, whereas 'demoralising' means destroying someone's morale or confidence.
'Demobilising' means releasing troops from military service or disbanding an organisation, while 'demoralising' refers to draining confidence or spirit.