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
Sportsbooks are constantly boasting about their protections and trying to denigrate those offered by competitors.
—
Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Calling his father and uncle gusanos — or worms, a Spanish-language term coined by Castro to denigrate those fleeing the island — the agent seized the bank and in an instant dispossessed a family that arrived from Spain in the 16th century.
—Joshua Goodman, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
Calling his father and uncle gusanos — or worms, a Spanish-language term coined by Castro to denigrate those fleeing the island — the agent seized the bank and, in an instant, dispossessed a family that arrived from Spain in the 16th century.
—CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026
Trump tapped into that sentiment again in his Telegraph interview, denigrating the Royal Navy as not up to the task.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for denigrate
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Calling his father and uncle gusanos — or worms, a Spanish-language term coined by Castro to denigrate those fleeing the island — the agent seized the bank and in an instant dispossessed a family that arrived from Spain in the 16th century.
—Joshua Goodman, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
Calling his father and uncle gusanos — or worms, a Spanish-language term coined by Castro to denigrate those fleeing the island — the agent seized the bank and, in an instant, dispossessed a family that arrived from Spain in the 16th century.
—CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026
Trump tapped into that sentiment again in his Telegraph interview, denigrating the Royal Navy as not up to the task.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for denigrate
Cite this Entry
“Denigrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/denigrate. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
denigrate
verb
den·i·grate
ˈde-ni-ˌgrāt
denigrated; denigrating
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
