belittle

play

verb be·lit·tle \bi-ˈli-t^əl, bē-\

Definition of belittle

belittled

;

belittling

play \bi-ˈli-t^əl-iŋ, -ˈlit-liŋ, bē-\

transitive verb
1 : to speak slightingly of : disparage belittles her efforts
2 : to cause (a person or thing) to seem little or less a curiosity so vast that it almost belittled the main matter — Mark Twain

belittlement

play \-ˈli-t^əl-mənt\ noun

belittler

play \-ˈli-t^əl-ər, -ˈlit-lər\ noun

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Examples of belittle in a Sentence

The critic belittled the author's work.
Her detractors are in the habit of belittling her accomplishments.

Recent Examples of belittle from the Web

More than once, she was reduced to tears of frustration at being excluded and belittled—on one occasion even in a cabinet meeting.

— kati marton, Vogue, "How Angela Merkel Became the Most Powerful Woman in the World," 18 July 2017
Per the New York Times: The Chamber of Commerce and other pro-business groups have belittled the rule as nothing more than a gift to class-action lawyers, who tend to be Democratic donors.

— vanityfair.com, "Is Jared Kushner Punishing Qatar Over a Soured Real-Estate Deal?," 10 July 2017
Jackson then poisoned the relationship by publicly belittling Anthony, who, if nothing else, was a good soldier.

— john smallwood, Philly.com, "A life in NBA did not qualify Phil Jackson to run Knicks | John Smallwood," 28 June 2017
Trump bemoaned the lack of bipartisanship in Washington, having belittled prominent Democrats himself.

— hope yen, chicagotribune.com, "Trump: Republicans not 'that far off' from passing health overhaul," 25 June 2017
Brown complained in 2014 that Petkis belittled and disrepected her.

— ken byron, Courant Community, "State Labor Board Upholds Termination Of Avon Police Officer," 21 June 2017
Lee has spent the last two weeks going out of his way to cruelly needle and belittle black contestants in particular, a trend so noticeable that at least one white cast member felt the need to say something about it this week.

— jay willis, GQ, "Oh Good, The Bachelorette Is Exploiting Racism for Ratings Now," 20 June 2017
So we are forced to be sleuths, decoding the slippery nuances of a language that belittles us and offers no obvious translation.

— nandi rose plunkett, Esquire, "Don't Call Me the Girl in the Band," 20 June 2017
And the unique way men relate to one another deserves to be honored rather than belittled.

— kory floyd, Scientific American, "Why Fathers Downplay Feelings," 18 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'belittle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of belittle

1785

Synonym Discussion of belittle

decry, depreciate, disparage, belittle mean to express a low opinion of. decry implies open condemnation with intent to discredit. decried their defeatist attitude depreciate implies a representing as being of less value than commonly believed. critics depreciate his plays for being unabashedly sentimental disparage implies depreciation by indirect means such as slighting or invidious comparison. disparaged polo as a game for the rich belittle usually suggests a contemptuous or envious attitude. belittled the achievements of others