denigrate

verb den·i·grate \ ˈde-ni-ˌgrāt \

Updated on: 11 Apr 2018

Definition of denigrate

denigrated; denigrating

transitive verb

1 : to attack the reputation of : defame

denigrate one's opponents

2 : to deny the importance or validity of : belittle

denigrate their achievements

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denigration

play \ˌde-ni-ˈgrā-shən\ noun

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denigrative

play \ˈde-ni-ˌgrā-tiv\ adjective

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denigrator

play \-ˌgrā-tər\ noun

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denigratory

play \ˈde-ni-grə-ˌtȯr-ē\ adjective

See denigrate defined for English-language learners

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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 of denigrate from the Web

The demographics that Williamson chooses to denigrate are vulnerable ones.

— danielle tcholakian, Longreads, "The Myth of Kevin Williamson," 7 Apr. 2018
The focus on fighting fake news in Kenya stands in contrast to what's happening in the US, where President Trump uses the term to denigrate credible news outlets that publish critical coverage about him or his Republican administration.

— josh lederman, The Christian Science Monitor, "US partners with local groups to fight fake news in Kenya," 19 Mar. 2018
There is nothing amusing about the denigrating remarks President Trump makes about members of the press and other politicians at his rallies.

— david zurawik, baltimoresun.com, "Zurawik: Nothing funny about a Trump rally," 12 Mar. 2018
Hidden cameras show Autumnwood of Livonia nursing home staff physically abusing and racially denigrating an 89-year-old Arab-American resident as part of a family lawsuit against the company.

— benjamin fearnow, Newsweek, "Hidden Camera Shows Nursing Home Staff Allegedly Abusing Patient, Hurling Ethnic Slurs," 6 Mar. 2018
But in trying to denigrate his critics, Nunes certainly appears to be adopting some of the president's more controversial tactics.

— amber phillips, Washington Post, "Nunes echoes Trump’s authoritarian view on press, says Stephen Colbert’s skit about him is a ‘danger’ to the country," 5 Mar. 2018
But governments today are exploiting other judicial tools — and many extrajudicial ones — to denigrate the work of the free press.

— bruce d. brown, Time, "America Is No Longer the Standard Bearer for a Free Press," 5 Feb. 2018
Not to denigrate other gaming genres, but many of those stories seemed limited by a mindset driven by what each game’s tech and code were built for.

— thomas wells, Ars Technica, "An appreciation of games that click back and change the gamers who love them," 16 Jan. 2018
According to accounts, Trump used profane language to denigrate countries in Africa and elsewhere.

— john sharp, AL.com, "'Impeach Trump,' nation's race relations looms on minds of MLK Jr. Day marchers," 15 Jan. 2018

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

Did You Know?

If you "denigrate" someone, you attempt to blacken their reputation. It makes sense, therefore, that "denigrate" can be traced back to the Latin verb denigrare, meaning "to blacken." When "denigrate" was first used in English in the 16th century, 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"), but this sense is somewhat rare in modern usage. Nowadays, of course, "denigrate" can also refer to belittling the worth or importance of someone or something.