Definition of denigrate
denigrated
;denigrating
From the M-W Editors
denigrate was our Word of the Day on 10/22/2007. Hear the podcast!
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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
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In an article that is certainly a sign of our times, the NYT applied some aggressive data analysis to the president’s Twitter feed and found out something that any child could see: Trump is very good at insulting people and denigrating things.
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Hamzeh later told others about how Mike had begun constantly denigrating Masons and first floated the idea of attacking the Milwaukee center.
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Many of HanA--holesolo's posts denigrate black people.
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Officials there say rhetoric denigrating Hispanics, and especially those of Mexican descent, caused the decrease.
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These people, a separate gender with a tradition that stretches back hundreds of years, maintain a unique position in South Asia, alternately tolerated, revered and denigrated.
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Hate speech — bigoted or denigrating words directed at groups — is constitutionally protected.
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The establishment clause of the First Amendment prohibits the government from denigrating a particular religion.
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The Islam speech is a risky move for a president who has long denigrated the faith.
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.
Origin and Etymology of denigrate
Latin denigratus, past participle of denigrare, from de- + nigrare to blacken, from nigr-, niger black
DENIGRATE Defined for English Language Learners
denigrate
playDefinition of denigrate for English Language Learners
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: to say very critical and often unfair things about (someone)
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: to make (something) seem less important or valuable
Learn More about denigrate
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See words that rhyme with denigrate Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for denigrate Spanish Central: Translation of denigrate Nglish: Translation of denigrate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of denigrate for Arabic speakers
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