disparaging

adjective

dis·​par·​ag·​ing di-ˈsper-i-jiŋ How to pronounce disparaging (audio)
-ˈspa-ri-
: meant to belittle the value or importance of someone or something : serving or intended to disparage someone or something
a disparaging term/word
disparaging comments from ordinarily sane and sympathetic critics …Isaiah Berlin
Legally, I also can't say anything about the company that could be construed as disparaging.Chuck Klosterman
disparagingly adverb
a term often used disparagingly
People in my field … have a tendency to take lightly and often disparagingly the efforts of workers in the so-called social sciences. Lewis Thomas

Examples of disparaging in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Prior to appearing on Cunningham's show on Monday, Huggins made more disparaging remarks about Xavier. Emily Deletter, The Enquirer, 10 May 2023 Will Smith was given the Golden Raspberry Awards’ lone non-disparaging prize, with Smith earning the Redeemer Award after landing an actual Oscar nod for his role in King RIchard; Nicolas Cage and Jamie Dornan were also considered for the quasi-honor. Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 26 Mar. 2022 As a former prosecutor in New York City and a professor of law at West Point, Tim Bakken believes that most people find solace in casting the most disparaging label possible upon an adversary. Howard Manly, The Conversation, 20 Dec. 2022 Scam victims could be called innocent to the misdeeds of the net, but being deemed gullible is the more disparaging and stubborn charge. Hannah Zeavin, Harper’s Magazine , 22 June 2022

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

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1596, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of disparaging was circa 1596

Dictionary Entries Near disparaging

Cite this Entry

“Disparaging.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disparaging. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

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