Adjacent Words

Demean definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

DEMEAN, v.t.
1. To behave; to carry; to conduct; with the reciprocal pronoun; as, it is our duty to demean ourselves with humility.
2. To treat.
DEMEAN, v.t. To debase; to undervalue.
DEMEAN, n.
1. Behavior; carriage; demeanor.
2. Mien.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: reduce in worth or character, usually verbally; "She tends to put down younger women colleagues"; "His critics took him down after the lecture" [syn: take down, degrade, disgrace, demean, put down]

Merriam Webster's

I. transitive verb (demeaned; demeaning) Etymology: Middle English demenen, from Anglo-French demener to conduct, from de- + mener to lead, from Latin minare to drive, from minari to threaten — more at mount Date: 14th century to conduct or behave (oneself) usually in a proper manner II. transitive verb (demeaned; demeaning) Etymology: de- + ¹mean Date: 1601 to lower in character, status, or reputation

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. v.tr. (usu. refl.) lower the dignity of (would not demean myself to take it). Etymology: DE- + MEAN(2), after debase 2. v.refl. (with adv.) behave (demeaned himself well). Etymology: ME f. OF demener f. Rmc (as DE-, L minare drive animals f. minari threaten)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Demean De*mean", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Demeaned; p. pr. & vb. n. Demeaning.] [OF. demener to conduct, guide, manage, F. se d['e]mener to struggle; pref. d['e]- (L. de) + mener to lead, drive, carry on, conduct, fr. L. minare to drive animals by threatening cries, fr. minari to threaten. See Menace.] 1. To manage; to conduct; to treat. [Our] clergy have with violence demeaned the matter. --Milton. 2. To conduct; to behave; to comport; -- followed by the reflexive pronoun. They have demeaned themselves Like men born to renown by life or death. --Shak. They answered . . . that they should demean themselves according to their instructions. --Clarendon.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Demean De*mean", n. [OF. demene. See Demean, v. t.] 1. Management; treatment. [Obs.] Vile demean and usage bad. --Spenser. 2. Behavior; conduct; bearing; demeanor. [Obs.] With grave demean and solemn vanity. --West.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Demean De*mean", n. [See Demesne.] 1. Demesne. [Obs.] 2. pl. Resources; means. [Obs.] You know How narrow our demeans are. --Massinger.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(demeans, demeaning, demeaned) 1. If you demean yourself, you do something which makes people have less respect for you. I wasn't going to demean myself by acting like a suspicious wife. VERB: V pron-refl 2. To demean someone or something means to make people have less respect for them. Some groups say that pornography demeans women. = degrade VERB: V n

Moby Thesaurus

abase, abash, acquit, act, bear, belittle, bring down, bring low, carry, cast down, comport, conduct, contemn, crush, debase, decry, degrade, deport, derogate, despise, detract, diminish, disparage, dump, dump on, go on, humiliate, lower, put down, quit, reduce, scorn, set down, sink, take down, trip up