as in to dismiss
to express scornfully one's low opinion of
belittled the action star's acting ability
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of belittle
Douglas belittles his son’s erratic career.
—
Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Johannes acts as a stand-in for all the shitty men women in music have to deal with, the ones who condescend, belittle, mansplain, and gaslight.
—Kathleen Newman-Bremang, Refinery29, 26 Jan. 2026
This year begins with the familiar sound of politicians belittling each other and seeking attention by any means.
—Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 12 Jan. 2026
The president relentlessly criticized and belittled Powell, attempting to blame him for some of the discontent over the economy that followed the president’s own tariff announcements.
—Christopher Rugaber, Chicago Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for belittle
Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Johannes acts as a stand-in for all the shitty men women in music have to deal with, the ones who condescend, belittle, mansplain, and gaslight.
—Kathleen Newman-Bremang, Refinery29, 26 Jan. 2026
This year begins with the familiar sound of politicians belittling each other and seeking attention by any means.
—Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 12 Jan. 2026
The president relentlessly criticized and belittled Powell, attempting to blame him for some of the discontent over the economy that followed the president’s own tariff announcements.
—Christopher Rugaber, Chicago Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for belittle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belittle
Verb
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Marty Singer, attorney for the spouses at the time, dismissed the controversy.—
Alexandra Del Rosario,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
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Yesterday, Judge Aran Subramanian dismissed some portions of the suit but allowed other claims to proceed in the DOJ’s efforts to break up Live Nation and Ticketmaster.—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This minimizes the chance of birds or pests removing the seeds or wind or rain blowing or washing them away.—
Lee Wallender,
The Spruce,
15 Feb. 2026
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Instead of hurrying to break up tents and scatter RVs, Lee and Oakland’s interim homelessness chief Sasha Hauswald want city workers to focus on minimizing trash and human waste around encampments.—
Grant Stringer,
Mercury News,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But some analysts say Iran's unprecedented weakness at home could diminish the flexibility of its country's leadership to make the kinds of compromises necessary for a deal.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
17 Feb. 2026
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The emergence of cable, podcasts and streaming audio and video platforms — none of which are subject to FCC restrictions in terms of content — have greatly diminished traditional broadcast media’s dominance in the marketplace.—
Cerys Davies,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Moore also referred to a video Trump posted of Michelle and Barack Obama’s faces put onto apes, claiming his actions cause Black people to feel disrespected and disparaged.—
Chevall Pryce,
Baltimore Sun,
16 Feb. 2026
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The agreement also has a provision that the Board of Police Commissioners, the Police Chief or the Police Department’s human resources division will not provide any disparaging information regarding his employment or his departure.—
Ben Wheeler,
Kansas City Star,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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To acknowledge the troubling, shameful aspects of American history is not to denigrate the Founders but to see them, and the others who made their livelihoods possible, as people.—
Adam Harris,
The Atlantic,
19 Feb. 2026
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By denigrating those who protest.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Since last fall, the Media Research Center, a right-wing organization that criticizes legacy media outlets, has turned its attention on Apple News’ story selection.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
16 Feb. 2026
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While the vote was unanimous, Trustee Jamela Smith-Folds criticized the majority of her colleagues who approved new contracts with two of the district’s labor groups, United Teachers of Richmond and Teamsters Local 856, the union representing custodial staff, cafeteria workers and others.—
Sierra Lopez,
Mercury News,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Belittle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belittle. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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