denigrate
verb
den·i·grate
ˈde-ni-ˌgrāt 
denigrated; denigrating
1
: to attack the reputation of : defame
denigrate one's opponents
2
: to deny the importance or validity of : belittle
denigrate their achievements
Did you know?
The word denigrate has been part of English since the 16th century and can be traced back to the Latin nigrare, meaning "to blacken." When denigrate was first used, 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"), representing an interesting case of a literal sense (now rare) following a figurative one. Nowadays, you’re most likely to hear denigrate used as a synonym of defame or belittle.
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
People who feel the need to denigrate entire cities need to work on their conversational skills.
—
R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2025
The chief of the Pembroke Park Police Department accused Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony on Friday of denigrating his officers to score political points in his ongoing feud with the city manager of Deerfield Beach.
—Rafael Olmeda, Sun Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2025
Commentary seen to denigrate or damage Russia’s war effort can land authors in jail.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 15 Aug. 2025
The intelligence chief cited emails from Obama officials and a five-year-old classified House report in hopes of undermining the intelligence community’s conclusion that Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to boost Trump and denigrate Clinton.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 24 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for denigrate
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R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2025
The chief of the Pembroke Park Police Department accused Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony on Friday of denigrating his officers to score political points in his ongoing feud with the city manager of Deerfield Beach.
—Rafael Olmeda, Sun Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2025
Commentary seen to denigrate or damage Russia’s war effort can land authors in jail.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 15 Aug. 2025
The intelligence chief cited emails from Obama officials and a five-year-old classified House report in hopes of undermining the intelligence community’s conclusion that Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to boost Trump and denigrate Clinton.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 24 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for denigrate
Cite this Entry
“Denigrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/denigrate. Accessed 27 Aug. 2025.
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