demote vs assign

demote and assign both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
demote	No	No	Yes	No
assign	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, assign is a hypernym of demote; that is, assign is a word with a broader meaning than demote:

demote: assign to a lower position; reduce in rank
assign: give an assignment to (a person) to a post, or assign a task to (a person)

Other hypernyms of demote include delegate, depute, designate.

demote (verb)	assign (verb)
assign to a lower position; reduce in rank	select something or someone for a specific purpose
	attribute or credit to
	decide as to where something belongs in a scheme
	attribute or give
	transfer one's right to
	give out
	make undue claims to having
	give an assignment to (a person) to a post, or assign a task to (a person)