denigrate
verb
den·i·grate
ˈde-ni-ˌgrāt 
denigrated; denigrating
1
: to attack the reputation of : defame
denigrate one's opponents
2
: to deny the importance or validity of : belittle
denigrate their achievements
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.
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
In August 2024, United Airlines defended one of its flight attendants who was denigrated on social media after someone took a photo of her wearing a pro-Palestinian flag pin on a flight from Chicago to Newark.
—
Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025
But now, the American president is repeating Putin’s mantras, denigrating Ukraine, and seems poised to cut aid.
—Trudy Rubin, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2025
His order does not only denigrate U.S. firms that have managed to conduct their business for decades without corruption.
—Richard Nephew, Foreign Affairs, 24 Feb. 2025
Most of your editorials, John Brummett, Rex Nelson, and John Deering, are blatant Trump haters, and their smug, condescending echo-chamber mindsets are constantly denigrating, mocking, and disrespecting at least 64 percent of your potential readers.
—arkansasonline.com, 15 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for denigrate
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Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025
But now, the American president is repeating Putin’s mantras, denigrating Ukraine, and seems poised to cut aid.
—Trudy Rubin, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2025
His order does not only denigrate U.S. firms that have managed to conduct their business for decades without corruption.
—Richard Nephew, Foreign Affairs, 24 Feb. 2025
Most of your editorials, John Brummett, Rex Nelson, and John Deering, are blatant Trump haters, and their smug, condescending echo-chamber mindsets are constantly denigrating, mocking, and disrespecting at least 64 percent of your potential readers.
—arkansasonline.com, 15 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for denigrate
Cite this Entry
“Denigrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/denigrate. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.
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