demean
/dɪˈmiːn/verb, noun
demean is spelled D-E-M-E-A-N: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 48,230th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, demean means “To debase; to lower; to degrade” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in demean?
| Letters | 6: D-E-M-E-A-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 48,230th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is demean?
Demean appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 48,230th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce demean?
- UK /dɪˈmiːn/
As a verb (“To subtract the mean from (a value, or every observation in…”): /ˌdiːˈmiːn/, /dɪˈmiːn/.
Demean has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Mélange_a_trois-demean.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-demean2.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with demean?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as demean from its last stressed vowel (/in/, British pronunciation):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of demean
- demeans present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- demeaning participle, present
- demeaned participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does demean mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To debase; to lower; to degrade.
- 2
To humble; to humiliate.
- 3
To mortify.
- 4
To subtract the mean from (a value, or every observation in a data set).
- 5
obsoleteTo manage; to conduct; to treat.
- 6
archaicTo conduct; to behave; to comport; followed by the reflexive pronoun.
noun
- 1
demesne.
- 2
resources; means.
- 3
obsoleteManagement; treatment.
- 4
obsoleteBehavior; conduct; bearing; demeanor.
with grave demean and solemn vanity
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Demean in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | herabwürdigen, entwürdigen, erniedrigen, herabsetzen , kleinmachen, demütigen |
| Spanish | menospreciar, denigrar, detraer , degradar, humillar , conducir |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does demean come from?
(1595) From de- + mean (“lowly, base, common”), from Middle English mene, aphetic variation of imene (“mean, base, common”), from Old English ġemǣne (“mean, common”). Compare English bemean.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).