demotion

noun

as in firing
the act or an instance of bringing to a lower grade or rank anyone who objects will get a demotion

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of demotion McCoy’s lawsuit alleges that her demotion was in violation of Missouri’s whistleblower statute, which allows public employees to sue for unlawful retaliation after reporting violations of law. — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2026 The outcome of the investigation, Balon said, resulted in the officer receiving a demotion in rank, an unpaid suspension, an indefinite suspension from the use of Flock and remedial ethics training. — Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026 Now, in 2026, some still can't get over Pluto's demotion to a dwarf planet. — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026 But after two decades in the rearview, Pluto’s demotion still stirs anger and controversy, and many people regard its change in status as a very bad thing. — Mike Brown, Scientific American, 24 Aug. 2026 Astronomers in favor of Pluto's demotion argued that a planet by definition should have cleared its orbit around the sun. — Brett Tingley, Space.com, 24 Aug. 2026 In fact, the demotion of the human agent in policing is often by design. — Literary Hub, 24 Aug. 2026 Despite Pluto’s demotion to a dwarf planet, PEOPLE’s astrology writer Valerie Mesa notes that the planet is still part of your astrological chart. — Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 24 Aug. 2026 For some, the sting of that cosmic demotion has never gone away. — Denise Chow, NBC news, 23 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demotion
  1. firing
  2. dismissal
  3. reduction
  4. humiliation
  5. sacking
Noun
  • Training units would not need to replace the complete launch pod after every firing cycle.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Among other requests, the complaint asked the court to declare the firings unlawful under the First Amendment and the Administrative Procedures Act and bar the Pentagon from proceeding with the terminations.
    — BrieAnna J. Frank, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of firing
Noun
  • Many independent pediatrics practices had dismissal policies like the one this mom had come up against in Fall River.
    — Eric Boodman, STAT, 3 Sep. 2026
  • This baseball season has been defined, in part, by dismissals.
    — Andy McCullough, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of dismissal
Noun
  • Top establishments like London's Hélène Darroze at The Connaught, a three-star restaurant, offer flexible à la carte lunch options for under £100, a significant reduction from their standard tasting menus.
    — Carinne Geil Botta, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Recent school closures have helped the district to be able to make that reduction.
    — Austin Horn, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of reduction
Noun
  • Along the way, the audience can expect tons of humiliation, terrible second prizes, and the guarantee that Robertson will turn at least one poor soul's wrong turn into several minutes of unhinged public destruction.
    — Rebecca Rosman, NPR, 31 Aug. 2026
  • There is a feeling of humiliation that stings long after an event has passed.
    — Wilbert L. Cooper, Longreads, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of humiliation
Noun
  • Thousands of Ukrainians took to the streets to demand the sacking of Syrskyi — an old-guard military commander blamed by his critics for heavy troop losses at the front line — and Fedorov’s reinstatement.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Liverpool have been without a specialist set-piece coach since the sacking of Aaron Briggs last December.
    — James Pearce, New York Times, 24 July 2026
Definition of sacking

Browse Nearby Words

demoting
demotion
demotions
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Cite this Entry

“Demotion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demotion. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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