as in defamation
the act of making a person or a thing seem little or unimportant
the unfair denigration of the social sciences by some people in the natural sciences
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Recent Examples of denigration
For me, this marks an early moment in the denigration of women.
—
Eana Kim, ARTnews.com, 27 Apr. 2026
Nowhere is there the vitriol or denigration found in MAGA gatherings.
—Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2026
From the start, the denigration of the Iranian monarchy was at the center of the Islamic Republic’s official ideology.
—Azadeh Moaveni, New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2026
Trump is, of course, a man whose rise to power has been fueled by his denigration of people for being animal-like.
—Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 22 Feb. 2026
The human costs of this are the increasing rates of illnesses and the financial costs of health care, lost productivity, and the compounding problems of further environmental denigration.
—Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Eana Kim, ARTnews.com, 27 Apr. 2026
Nowhere is there the vitriol or denigration found in MAGA gatherings.
—Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2026
From the start, the denigration of the Iranian monarchy was at the center of the Islamic Republic’s official ideology.
—Azadeh Moaveni, New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2026
Trump is, of course, a man whose rise to power has been fueled by his denigration of people for being animal-like.
—Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 22 Feb. 2026
The human costs of this are the increasing rates of illnesses and the financial costs of health care, lost productivity, and the compounding problems of further environmental denigration.
—Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for denigration
Noun
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In June last year, Baldoni's $400 million lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds, and the couple's publicist Leslie Sloane, as well as Baldoni's defamation suit against the Times, was dismissed by Liman.—
Angeline Jane Bernabe,
ABC News,
15 June 2026
-
Marie Theodat filed suit in Suffolk Superior Court in September 2025 against more than a dozen defendants, alleging claims of discrimination, defamation, invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.—
Flint McColgan,
Boston Herald,
14 June 2026
Noun
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The Seleção victory eliminates Haiti from knockout play and gives coach Carlo Ancelotti a bit of breathing room after his draw to open the tournament earned him criticism.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
20 June 2026
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While backing its longtime partner Iran rhetorically, China has been measured in its criticism of the US for sparking the conflict and held multiple calls and meetings with Gulf states that came under Iran’s attack.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
20 June 2026
Noun
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Kyiv cast the attack as revenge for strikes on a historic monastery that had drawn global condemnation.—
Yuliya Talmazan,
NBC news,
18 June 2026
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And over time, as politicians and religious leaders have pushed for the regulation and public condemnation of those who practice BDSM, people have formed communities to support one another and create spaces for pleasure.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 June 2026
Noun
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These disparagements cut to the core of southern manhood.—
Rob Wolfe,
The Atlantic,
5 June 2026
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The contract contained a non-disparagement clause, and in law, the special thing about disparagement is that unlike defamation, the truth is not a defense against disparagement.—
Marlow Stern,
Variety,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The red card to Almirón, who plays for Atlanta United in the MLS, was the first given in history for covering his mouth while talking to an opponent, a rule implemented to avoid racial abuse on the field.—
Gabriel Sama,
Mercury News,
21 June 2026
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Vinícius reacted immediately, informing the referee, and play was halted for 10 minutes under UEFA's racist abuse protocol.—
Olivia Shalhoup,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2026
Noun
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Apolline may embrace the social media aspects of her career but George’s belittlement rankles her.—
Peter Rainer,
Christian Science Monitor,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
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When asset growth exceeds earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) growth, stock returns tend to be negatively affected.—
Bill Stone,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
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Bank Indonesia highlighted that the depreciation of the rupiah was also driven by foreign portfolio investment outflows.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
9 June 2026
Noun
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How the Knicks got here The Knicks have been a subject of ridicule for most of the past three decades, only to break through this spring with historic and surreal dominance.—
Esfandiar Baraheni,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
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Dozens of harrowing twists later, Daniel was turned into a vampire by Louis’ terrifyingly powerful, 500-year-old lover, Armand (Assad Zaman), and published Louis’ confessions to the ridicule of the human media and the outrage of the understandably press-shy immortal community.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Denigration.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/denigration. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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