as in disgrace
the state of having lost the esteem of others
to his everlasting discredit, the coach was found to have placed bets against his own team
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to humiliate
to reduce to a lower standing in one's own eyes or in others' eyes
attempted to discredit her political opponents by deliberately spreading false rumors
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to deny
to think not to be true or real
I discredit the story that the old inn is haunted
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to refute
to prove to be false
the pseudoscience of phrenology has been thoroughly discredited
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of discredit
Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2025
Again; Red Sox Headed For Disaster Per PECOTA Orioles' World Series Champion Infielder, Longtime Coach Passes Away
To their discredit, the Rockies have done little to stem the tide this offseason.
—Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Newsweek, 4 Feb. 2025
Chantelle Lee, Time, 23 Sep. 2025
The study was later discredited and retracted but doubts about the MMR vaccine have persisted.
—Stephanie Innes, AZCentral.com, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discredit
Noun
To the credit of his players and the discredit of his critics, Cronin’s team has responded by turning things around and playing some of the most active and inspired basketball in the country.
—Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2025
Again; Red Sox Headed For Disaster Per PECOTA Orioles' World Series Champion Infielder, Longtime Coach Passes Away
To their discredit, the Rockies have done little to stem the tide this offseason.
—Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Newsweek, 4 Feb. 2025
Verb
But many climate scientists have discredited this argument, saying that freezing events can take place even amid climate change—but as time goes on, those cold events will happen less often and won’t last as long.
—Chantelle Lee, Time, 23 Sep. 2025
The study was later discredited and retracted but doubts about the MMR vaccine have persisted.
—Stephanie Innes, AZCentral.com, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discredit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discredit
Noun
-
This person has brought shame and disgrace to the badge and to an honorable profession.—
Paloma Chavez,
Sacbee.com,
9 Oct. 2025
-
Discovery meant discharge and disgrace.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
An Italian activist who was part of the Gaza aid flotilla and subsequently detained by Israel has described allegations of being mistreated and humiliated while in Israeli custody, with little access to legal assistance.—
Catherine Nicholls,
CNN Money,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Even its most mean-spirited plotline, in which a married couple assemble a fake theater production to humiliate their ex-neighbor whose noisiness prompted them to move, is presented as more of a gentle exercise in silliness than anything truly vindictive.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Both initially denied the affair, though Rimes later admitted to it.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
10 Oct. 2025
-
This is what happens when any people and their history are denied, forgotten, declared disposable.—
Kevin Powell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
When rumors flew in the colonies that Franklin had personally designed the Stamp Act, William refuted the charges.—
Stacy Schiff,
The Atlantic,
8 Oct. 2025
-
Strowman quickly refuted this claim on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
This person has brought shame and disgrace to the badge and to an honorable profession.—
Paloma Chavez,
Sacbee.com,
9 Oct. 2025
-
People can feel a lot of shame about being in credit card debt.—
Malaka Gharib,
NPR,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The games themselves are embarrassing enough to watch.—
Stewart Mandel,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
-
One agent was disciplined for insubordination after refusing to go along with the plan to embarrass Comey in this way.—
The Conversation,
The Conversation,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The higher-ups are disbelieving, but Alex points out that the network has a fancy new AI that can replicate her voice in a zillion languages.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
24 Sep. 2025
-
Pearl, Dale’s adult daughter, vacillates between disbelieving that her father committed suicide and blaming her mother for it.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Reed had a costly penalty that negated a touchdown against Illinois, so the spotlight will be on him against a stout Michigan front.—
Austin Meek,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Once airborne, hydrogen leads to 35 times more climate warming than CO2, negating the purpose of blending.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Discredit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discredit. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share