It is demeaning to say that beauty alone determines one's worth . 如果说凭美貌决定一个人的价值的话,这就有失公道了。
He found it very demeaning to have to work for his former employee. 他觉得要为他以前的雇员工作很失身分.
Far from demeaning nature, this exercise reveals how much we depend on it. 从这样的行动中,我们会发现自己对自然界的依赖,因而不会轻忽它。
demeaning
[ adj ] causing awareness of your shortcomings <adj.all> golf is a humbling game
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.
3. To debase; to lower; to degrade; -- followed by the reflexive pronoun.
Her son would demean himself by a marriage with an artist's daughter. --Thackeray.
Note: This sense is probably due to a false etymology which regarded the word as connected with the adjective mean.