de
mean
Third Person
demeans
Present Participle
demeaning
Past Tense
demeaned
Past Participle
demeaned
1
to behave in a way that lowers the dignity or respect of oneself or others
- He demeaned himself by speaking rudely to the waiter.
- The politician was demeaning his opponent in a heated debate.
- Stop demeaning yourself; you deserve more credit for your hard work.
- The teacher never demeans students, always encouraging their efforts.
- His habit of belittling his colleagues during meetings does nothing but demean him in the eyes of the entire team.