When you demean someone, you do or say something that makes other people think less of them. You put them lower. You treat them as smaller or cheaper than they are.

When you demean someone當你demean一個人， you do or say something你做或說了某件事， that makes other people think less of them讓別人看輕他 You put them lower你把他往下壓 You treat them as smaller or cheaper than they are你把他當成比實際更小、更不值錢的人來對待

You can also demean yourself: you do something that makes people lose respect for you. A boss who mocks a worker in front of everyone demeans that worker. A person who lies and crawls may feel they have demeaned themselves.

You can also demean yourself你也可以demean自己： you do something做了某件事， that makes people lose respect for you讓別人不再尊重你 A boss who mocks a worker in front of everyone一個在大家面前嘲笑員工的老闆， demeans that worker就是在demean那位員工 A person who lies and crawls一個又說謊又低聲下氣的人， may feel they have demeaned themselves可能會覺得自己demean了自己

It is a serious, slightly formal word. In easy talk people more often say put down, talk down to, or make someone look bad. You will meet it in news, school writing, and talks about fairness.

It is a serious, slightly formal word這是一個嚴肅、有點正式的字 In easy talk在輕鬆的說法裡， people more often say put down, talk down to, or make someone look bad人們更常說put down、talk down to，或make someone look bad You will meet it in news, school writing, and talks about fairness你會在新聞、學校的寫作，還有討論公平的談話裡遇到它

Though actually, English has two different verbs that look the same. This one, the one you are learning, was built as “make low.” There is an older demean that meant “behave” or “carry yourself,” and that one belongs with demeanour. Almost nobody uses that old verb now.

Though actually不過其實， English has two different verbs that look the same英文裡有兩個長得一樣的不同動詞 This one, the one you are learning你正在學的這一個， was built as "make low."是照「使變低」的意思造出來的。 There is an older demean還有一個比較舊的demean， that meant "behave" or "carry yourself,"意思是「表現、舉止」， and that one belongs with demeanour那個字跟demeanour是一家的 Almost nobody uses that old verb now現在幾乎沒有人用那個舊動詞了

One messy leftover: demean yourself today always means “make yourself look small.” Long ago the same shape could just mean “behave,” with no shame in it. The shame reading won.

One messy leftover有一個亂糟糟的遺留問題： demean yourself today always means "make yourself look small."現在demean yourself永遠是「讓自己顯得很小」的意思。 Long ago the same shape could just mean "behave,"很久以前，同樣的說法可能只是「表現、舉止」， with no shame in it沒有羞恥的意思 The shame reading won帶著羞恥感的那個意思贏了