denigrate

verb

den·​i·​grate ˈde-ni-ˌgrāt How to pronounce denigrate (audio)
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 noun
denigrative adjective
denigrator noun
denigratory 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.

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 following year, after Carlson was fired from Fox News, the progressive watchdog Media Matters posted embarrassing behind-the-scenes footage of Carlson making crude remarks while joking with staff and denigrating the Fox Nation streaming service. Oliver Darcy, CNN, 22 Feb. 2024 By 2019, Warner was touring West Virginia local high schools with a custom presentation cautioning students to not fall for Russian propaganda that seeks to divide Americans and denigrate their faith in democracy. Kevin Collier, NBC News, 22 Feb. 2024 While she was allegedly fired for her cultural and religious beliefs, Carano argues that the entertainment giant turned a blind eye to her male co-stars, who allegedly made offensive and denigrating posts directed toward Republicans. James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Feb. 2024 Those very public failures and his recent comments and actions have certainly hurt his reputation, and to some extent, that of SpaceX. But to denigrate the prodigious rocket science on display in Texas this weekend for this reason, alone, is a mistake. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 20 Nov. 2023 There might be a great many creative epithets used to denigrate Asian people, as I was reminded about recently when watching the 2008 film Gran Torino, in which Clint Eastwood plays a cantankerous old man who owns a thesaurus full of them—but the directness of chink feels among the worst. Jeremy Gordon, The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2024 While she was allegedly fired for her cultural and religious beliefs, Carano argues that the entertainment giant turned a blind eye to her male costars, who allegedly made offensive and denigrating posts directed towards Republicans. Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Feb. 2024 Former President Donald Trump often denigrates wind and solar power in his speeches. Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 4 Feb. 2024 Others, including Gali, say the term took on a darker tone that denigrates Native women, relegating them to a subhuman stature. Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'denigrate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of denigrate was in 1526

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near denigrate

Cite this Entry

“Denigrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/denigrate. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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

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