as in slighting
intended to make a person or thing seem of little importance or value
there's no need for belittling comments about your brother's trumpet playing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in dismissing
to express scornfully one's low opinion of
belittled the action star's acting ability
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of belittling
Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 14 Jan. 2023
The boundaries revolve around disrespectful or belittling speech.
—Abigail Van Buren, oregonlive, 28 Sep. 2020
The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2025
Prior to her tragic death, Toussaint had reclaimed her power, announcing her intent to divorce her belittling husband and address her people with honesty.
—Nicole Briese, People.com, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for belittling
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
Verb
No doubt many of them are relying on prayer for comfort and understanding and don’t need their city’s mayor belittling how the faithful talk to God — even if his words amounted to a talking point frequently used by the supporters of gun controls.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2025
Prior to her tragic death, Toussaint had reclaimed her power, announcing her intent to divorce her belittling husband and address her people with honesty.
—Nicole Briese, People.com, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for belittling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belittling
Verb
-
But dismissing the rise in antisemitism as mere policing of speech about Israel is disingenuous and dangerous.—
Dafna Michaelson Jenet,
Denver Post,
12 Oct. 2025
-
Less than four months later, though, a California judge stopped her in her tracks, dismissing her entire complaint on a technicality.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
To educate all of them in similar ways is insulting, and silly.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Sep. 2025
-
Perkins said the drink bore the insulting message.—
Victoria Moorwood,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This high power-to-weight ratio is critical for aviation, where minimizing weight is essential for efficiency and operational viability.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Oct. 2025
-
With help from melon antioxidants, peptides, and SPF, the hydrating product shields your skin from harmful rays while also minimizing fine lines.—
Izzy Baskette,
PEOPLE,
8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
For decades, Indigenous leaders and advocates across the state and country have been trying to convince school communities that the use of such mascots and logos are inappropriate, demeaning and harmful.—
Frank Vaisvilas,
jsonline.com,
29 Aug. 2025
-
One detainee who submitted an account to the court that was referenced by Gregorio described sleeping in foul-smelling facilities and facing demeaning treatment by ICE agents.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
But relying on a 35-year-old, who was already showing signs of decline with diminishing velocity, to return to being one of the best pitchers in the sport after Tommy John surgery, is a risk.—
Chris Kirschner,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
-
Their patches of habitat and their water sources are diminishing; their feeding timeline has grown increasingly erratic, and more barricades are being built all the time, limiting their freedom of movement.—
Ganesh Marín,
The Dial,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
And there would be lots of soldiers around, either Army or National Guard, and the people who were civilians would be young people, very disparaging about the military.—
Steve Baltin,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
-
The 2023 Economic Report Of The President published in March of 2023 was relatively disparaging of cryptoassets and DLTs.—
Lawrence Wintermeyer,
Forbes,
5 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Its press releases criticizing the latest risqué scenes on broadcast and basic cable TV routinely generated media headlines — as did its deep-dive studies showing an increase of more adult content.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Oct. 2025
-
Ciattarelli initially praised Sherrill voting yes on a resolution celebrating the life of Charlie Kirk, and accused Sherrill of flip-flopping on her values, criticizing her for condemning some of Kirk’s rhetoric.—
Brittany Shepherd,
ABC News,
9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Charles Rolsky, executive director and senior research scientist at the Shaw Institute, a nonprofit focusing on the links between environmental and human health, says that many studies, including his own, suggest PVA can pass through wastewater treatment without completely degrading.—
Matt Fuchs,
Time,
29 Sep. 2025
-
The mission emphasized that detaining adolescents under such conditions amounts to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
23 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Belittling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belittling. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share