denigrate

denigrate
verb
den·;i·;grate ;de-ni-;gr;t
denigrated; denigrating
Synonyms of denigrate
transitive verb

1
: to attack the reputation of : defame
denigrate one's opponents
2
: to deny the importance or validity of : belittle
denigrate their achievements
denigration
;de-ni-;gr;-sh;n
 noun
denigrative
;de-ni-;gr;-tiv
 adjective
denigrator
;de-ni-;gr;-t;r
 noun
denigratory
;de-ni-gr;-;t;r-;
 adjective


Did you know?
The word denigrate has been part of English since the 16th century and can be traced back to the Latin nigrare, meaning "to blacken." When denigrate was first used, it meant "to cast aspersions on someone's character or reputation." Eventually, it developed a second sense of "to make black" ("factory smoke denigrated the sky"), representing an interesting case of a literal sense (now rare) following a figurative one. Nowadays, you’re most likely to hear denigrate used as a synonym of defame or belittle.

Synonyms
bad-mouth
belittle
cry down
decry
deprecate
depreciate
derogate
diminish
dis [slang]
diss
discount
dismiss
disparage
kiss off
minimize
play down
poor-mouth
put down
run down
talk down
trash
trash-talk
vilipend
write off
Examples of denigrate in a Sentence
Her story denigrates him as a person and as a teacher.
No one is trying to denigrate the importance of a good education. We all know that it is crucial for success.
denigrating the talents and achievements of women
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Olsen stresses that understanding how the fossils were preserved doesn’t denigrate them.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 5 Nov. 2024
Opium is revered by Carti truthers who treat his 2020 album Whole Lotta Red as the Bible, and denigrated by non-believers as a bunch of edgelords who come off as wannabe Satan-worshipers.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 4 Nov. 2024
While Trump's efforts to denigrate scientific experts were laced with his characteristic conspiracism and drama, many Americans may nevertheless share his views.
—Matt Motta, Scientific American, 29 Oct. 2024
Yet, during his first term, Trump repeatedly denigrated our allies.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024