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

The Trump campaign said the former president was referring to the experience of giving the award, not denigrating the Medal of Honor or the actions of service members. —Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2024

Along with prohibiting reviews written by nonhumans, the FTC’s rule also forbids companies from paying for either positive or negative reviews to falsely boost or denigrate a product. —Rebecca Picciotto, CNBC, 14 Aug. 2024

None of this should be taken to denigrate Congress as a whole. —Christopher Miller, The Conversation, 8 Aug. 2024

Her national coming out has prompted a largely supportive reception, even as some far-right personalities have circulated racist commentary denigrating her Indian heritage. – Haley BeMiller and Brianne Pfannenstiel Who is sponsoring the RNC? —David Jackson, USA TODAY, 18 July 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