1
demean someone/oneself
直接接宾语，表示贬低某人或自己。
His comments demeaned her in front of everyone.
他的评论当众贬低了她。
贬低；贬损
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
贬低；贬损
to lower someone in worth or character, usually by speaking
His comments demeaned her in front of everyone.
他的评论当众贬低了她。
贬低；降低；降级
To debase; to lower; to degrade.
从(一个值或数据集中的每个观测值)中减去平均值
To subtract the mean from (a value, or every observation in a data set).
使谦卑；羞辱
To humble; to humiliate.
使感到屈辱
To mortify.
demean
Base
原形
demeans
3rd person
第三人称单数
demeaning
-ing
现在分词
demeaned
Past
过去式
demeaned
Past participle
过去分词
He demeans himself by lying.
他说谎贬低了自己。
规则动词
Please don't demean your colleagues by mocking their ideas in meetings.
请不要在会上嘲笑同事的想法来贬低他们。
She felt that taking the job would demean her, so she turned it down.
她觉得接受这份工作会贬低自己，于是拒绝了。
He demeaned himself by lying to his friends for money.
他为了钱对朋友撒谎，贬低了自己。
直接接宾语，表示贬低某人或自己。
His comments demeaned her in front of everyone.
他的评论当众贬低了她。
by后接行为，表示通过某种方式贬低自己。
She would never demean herself by lying.
她绝不会说谎贬低自己。
with后接工具或方式，表示用某物贬低。
They demeaned him with cruel nicknames.
他们用残忍的绰号贬低他。
Not this
He demeaned in front of others.
Use this
He demeaned himself in front of others.
动词 'demean' 是及物动词，需要接宾语（通常是反身代词），表示‘贬低自己’。错句缺少宾语，导致语法不完整。
Not this
I demean an apology from you.
Use this
I demand an apology from you.
因发音相似，学习者将 'demean' 误用为 'demand'（要求）。'demean' 意为贬低，而这里需要表示‘要求道歉’。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
贬低自己，自贬身份
I won't demean myself by begging for their approval.
我不会靠乞求他们的认可来贬低自己。
感到被贬低，感到屈辱
She felt demeaned by the way her boss spoke to her.
老板那样对她说话，她感到受到了羞辱。
贬低人的言语，有失身份的评论
His demeaning remarks about her clothes upset everyone.
他那些贬损她衣着的评论让大家都感到不快。
侮辱性的对待，贬低人格的待遇
No employee should have to put up with demeaning treatment.
任何员工都不该忍受有辱人格的对待。
有失身份的工作，低贱的工作
He took a demeaning job to support his family.
为了养家，他做了一份有失身份的工作。
降低自己的身份；自贬身份
I wouldn't demean myself by begging for a job.
我不会以乞求一份工作来降低自己的身份。
有辱自己的职位/地位
A public official who takes bribes demeans the office he holds.
收受贿赂的公职人员会有辱他所担任的职位。
Use demean naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
联想：把别人压到‘低(de)’处，再骂他‘mean(卑劣)’，就是贬低、羞辱。
语域：formal 常见场景：formal writing、discussions of dignity and respect demean 表示“贬低、使屈辱”时通常较正式，多用于书面或正式场合（如讨论尊严、尊重）。日常口语里更常说 humiliate 或 belittle。
同韵词：mean /miːn/、bean /biːn/、seen /siːn/、queen /kwiːn/ 与 demean 中的 -mean 同音，韵脚为 /iːn/。注意拼写相近但发音不同的词：meant /ment/（ea 读 /e/）；meander /miˈændər/ 中的 mean 不读 /miːn/，而读 /miˈæn/。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.