demean
1 Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
verb
Etymology
Origin of demean1
1595–1605; de- + mean 2, modeled on debase
Origin of demean2
1250–1300; Middle English deme ( i ) nen < Anglo-French, Old French demener, equivalent to de- de- + mener to lead, conduct < Latin mināre to drive, minārī to threaten
Explanation
To demean someone is to insult them. To demean is to degrade or put down a person or thing. If you noticed the word mean in demean, that's a good clue to its meaning. To demean someone is very mean. You are demeaning your sister or brother if you run their underwear up a flagpole. A teacher could demean a student by saying "You're stupid!" To demean is to insult: no one wants to be demeaned. Insulting language is often called demeaning. We can also say a bad president demeaned his office.
Vocabulary lists containing demean
ACT Vocabulary List
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The Hunger Games
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The Wednesday Wars
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I don’t mean to demean his abilities as a businessman.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 13, 2025
"Germany objects to use of terms and comparison related to Nazi Germany that are historically, politically and morally wrong because they demean the victims and raise false implications," he said in a recent X post.
From Barron's • Oct. 19, 2025
Essay Topic: An obsessive need to demean and diminish others is explained by some behavioral therapists as a sign of insecurity, weakness, or an unhappy childhood.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 26, 2025
The judge said it was necessary as the lack of legal recognition could "disrupt and demean" the private lives of same-sex couples "in ways that constitute arbitrary interference".
From BBC • Sep. 10, 2025
To demean him personally would be to demean all other officers of equal or lesser rank.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
