be·lit·tling
bi-ˈli-tᵊl-iŋ 
-ˈlit-liŋ,
bē-
: expressing disparagement : disparaging, depreciatory
a set of belittling stereotypes
"I think it might embarrass Stuart to hear mice mentioned in such a belittling manner."—
E. B. White
E. B. WhiteNisbett's attitude is far from belittling toward Eastern cultures.—Christopher Shea
Christopher SheaThere was … a certain loftiness and sweetness that rebuked your belittling criticisms and stilled them.—Mark Twain
Mark Twain
belittlingly
adverb
… she is secretly carrying on a love affair with her mousy first cousin, belittlingly known to the family as Little Charles …
—Charles Isherwood
Charles Isherwood
: a disparaging statement
Bernheim's fiercely focused, cantankerous Frieda … practically steals the show with her nonstop maternal belittlings …—Robert Hurwitt
: disparagement, deprecation
Robert HurwittHis constant belittling of her work led Joan to believe that she was incompetent …—Sharon Freedburg
Sharon FreedburgSynonyms
Examples of belittling in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebMiles Klee, Rolling Stone, 14 Jan. 2023
The boundaries revolve around disrespectful or belittling speech.
—Abigail Van Buren, oregonlive, 28 Sep. 2020
Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 20 July 2023
The berating and belittling of rank-and-file employees and the network’s reliance on music videos glorifying drugs, violence, and misogynoir.
—Ruth Umoh, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2023
Screaming, berating and belittling were an accepted part of the package.
—Paul Newberry, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2023
Tucker Carlson's belittling of a reporter for The New York Times this week for publicly discussing how she had been harassed reveals both a toxic online culture and bad blood between the newspaper and Fox News Channel and its most popular personality.
—David Bauder, ajc, 11 Mar. 2021
The larger theme, though, was a culture of belittling players.
—Theo MacKie, The Arizona Republic, 18 Aug. 2022
Oftentimes, a belittling list of these kinds of real-time human-focused downsides is left on its own accord and leaves a lingering impression that the AI must somehow be leaps and bounds a much wiser choice than having a human-in-the-loop.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 25 July 2022
Kwon, who developed a reputation for belittling and attacking critics of his project, has now been likened to Elizabeth Holmes, found guilty of fraud for her Theranos deception.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 13 May 2022
But despite that -- and Trump's belittling of his father, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush -- George P. has sought Trump's blessing in previous contests.
—Zachary B. Wolf, CNN, 14 Feb. 2022
Adjective
Yet, since sometime before July 23, 2022, an anonymous user has been steadily updating IMDb’s trivia section on Corsage with hostile and belittling comments presented under the guise of background information.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 14 Jan. 2023
The boundaries revolve around disrespectful or belittling speech.
—Abigail Van Buren, oregonlive, 28 Sep. 2020
Noun
Reddit Reddit's hasty implementation of API fees and its belittling of protests (both internally, reportedly, and to the press) and complaints are frequently cited by mods Ars has spoken to as elevating the protests beyond a debate on what the formerly free API should cost.
—Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 20 July 2023
The berating and belittling of rank-and-file employees and the network’s reliance on music videos glorifying drugs, violence, and misogynoir.
—Ruth Umoh, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2023
Screaming, berating and belittling were an accepted part of the package.
—Paul Newberry, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2023
Tucker Carlson's belittling of a reporter for The New York Times this week for publicly discussing how she had been harassed reveals both a toxic online culture and bad blood between the newspaper and Fox News Channel and its most popular personality.
—David Bauder, ajc, 11 Mar. 2021
The larger theme, though, was a culture of belittling players.
—Theo MacKie, The Arizona Republic, 18 Aug. 2022
Oftentimes, a belittling list of these kinds of real-time human-focused downsides is left on its own accord and leaves a lingering impression that the AI must somehow be leaps and bounds a much wiser choice than having a human-in-the-loop.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 25 July 2022
Kwon, who developed a reputation for belittling and attacking critics of his project, has now been likened to Elizabeth Holmes, found guilty of fraud for her Theranos deception.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 13 May 2022
But despite that -- and Trump's belittling of his father, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush -- George P. has sought Trump's blessing in previous contests.
—Zachary B. Wolf, CNN, 14 Feb. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'belittling.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near belittling
Cite this Entry
“Belittling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/belittling. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
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