demoralize
Sap the will
To demoralize is to undermine someone's confidence, spirit, or will to continue.
A crushing defeat demoralizes a team; prolonged hardship demoralizes a population.
The effect is psychological—not destroying capacity but destroying belief: The constant criticism demoralized her.
Demoralized troops may still have weapons but lack the will to fight.
Cause to lose hope
- disheartenCause to lose hope
- dejectTo lower spirits
- dauntDiscourage through fear
- dismayDistressed loss of courage
deflate · demotivate · crush · unnerve · sadden · disillusion · intimidate · shake
Deliberate disruption of operations
- subvertSecretly weaken authority
- destabilizeMake unsteady or insecure
- weakenReduce in strength
- erodeDiminish through persistent friction
sap · impair · cripple · enfeeble · debilitate · undercut · compromise · degrade
State without hope
- despondencyProfound loss of hope
- pessimismExpecting unfavorable outcomes
- resignationVoluntary relinquishment of position
- despairTotal absence of hope
dejection · gloom · fatalism · cynicism · surrender · negativity · helplessness · bleakness
dispirit
Cause to lose hope
- disheartenCause to lose hope
- dejectTo lower spirits
- dauntDiscourage through fear
dismay · deflate · demotivate · crush · unnerve · sadden · disillusion · intimidate · shake · disconcert
sabotage
Deliberate disruption of operations
- subvertSecretly weaken authority
- destabilizeMake unsteady or insecure
- weakenReduce in strength
erode · sap · impair · cripple · enfeeble · debilitate · undercut · compromise · degrade · diminish
hopelessness
State without hope
- despondencyProfound loss of hope
- pessimismExpecting unfavorable outcomes
- resignationVoluntary relinquishment of position
despair · dejection · gloom · fatalism · cynicism · surrender · negativity · helplessness · bleakness · melancholy
deprave
Corrupt morally
corrupt · degrade · vitiate · subvert · lead astray · contaminate · taint · poison · warp · pollute
- discouraging actionsdeter, dissuade, daunt, dishearten, dispirit
- mind gamesmind game, head game, head games, mind games, intimidation
- burdensburden, load, onus, obligations, weight
- bring downbring down, take down, pull down, tear down, knock down
demoralized, demoralizing, demoralization, demoralizes, demoralizer, demoralised, demoralise, demoralising, demoralizers