Standard Lemma guide

demeaning

adj · verb · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • CMU ARPABET: D IH0 M IY1 N IH0 NG Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Degrading; that degrades.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • demeaning job
  • demeaning way to make money
  • laugh at someone in a demeaning way

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

present participle and gerund of demean

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, gerund, participle, present

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

causing awareness of your shortcomings

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • golf is a humbling game

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: humbling, humiliating, mortifying

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

16 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Dutch: vernederend — that degrades
  • Finnish: halventava — that degrades
  • Finnish: alentava — that degrades
  • Finnish: halveksiva — that degrades
  • Finnish: nöyryyttävä — that degrades
  • French: dégradant — that degrades
  • French: avilissant — that degrades
  • German: erniedrigend — that degrades
  • German: herabsetzend — that degrades
  • Italian: degradante — that degrades
  • Polish: poniżający — that degrades
  • Portuguese: degradante — that degrades
  • Russian: унизительный (unizitelʹnyj) — that degrades
  • Spanish: degradante — that degrades
  • Spanish: denigrante — that degrades
  • Spanish: humillante — that degrades