Demoralise -

The person no longer sees a reason to keep trying.

Constant changes in rules or expectations can make a person feel they can never win. demoralise

Historically, psychological warfare focuses on demoralizing the enemy to encourage surrender without further fighting [1]. Key Characteristics The person no longer sees a reason to keep trying

To take the "soul" or "spirit" out of a person’s efforts. Daunt: To intimidate or cause someone to lose courage [3]. Key Characteristics To take the "soul" or "spirit"

To someone is to undermine their confidence, spirit, or hope. It is less about physical defeat and more about winning the "inner war" by making an opponent or individual feel that their efforts are futile [1, 2]. Core Meaning

A milder form; you might be discouraged by a rainy day, but you are demoralized by a systemic failure.

Constant negative feedback or unrealistic workloads can demoralize employees, leading to "quiet quitting" or high turnover [5].