denigrate

verb

den·​i·​grate ˈde-ni-ˌgrāt 

denigrated; denigrating

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

ˌde-ni-ˈgrā-shən 

noun

denigrative

ˈde-ni-ˌgrā-tiv 

adjective

denigrator

ˈde-ni-ˌgrā-tər 

noun

denigratory

ˈde-ni-grə-ˌtȯr-ē 

adjective

Did you know?

If you "denigrate" someone, you attempt to blacken their reputation. It makes sense, therefore, that "denigrate" can be traced back to the Latin verb denigrare, meaning "to blacken." When "denigrate" was first used in English in the 16th century, 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"), but this sense is somewhat rare in modern usage. Nowadays, of course, "denigrate" can also refer to belittling the worth or importance of someone or something.

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

Yet, during his first term, Trump repeatedly denigrated our allies. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024

Reed said the former president’s relationship with national and international leaders is denigrating the country, citing Trump’s threats to NATO. —Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 30 Oct. 2024

Another suggested renaming Greene’s office for Neville Chamberlain, the British prime minister who is widely denigrated for his appeasement of Hitler. —Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2024

All three aim to denigrate the democratic process, though their presidential preferences are different: Russia supports former President Donald Trump for president, Iran supports VIce President Kamala Harris, and China doesn’t have a clear favorite. —Kevin Collier, NBC News, 22 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin denigratus, past participle of denigrare, from de- + nigrare to blacken, from nigr-, niger black

First Known Use

1526, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

denigrate

verb

den·​i·​grate

ˈde-ni-ˌgrāt

denigrated; denigrating

1

: to attack the reputation of : defame

2

: to deny the importance or validity of : belittle