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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When Faye won Senegal’s 2024 presidential election, it was widely understood as a victory engineered by Sonko, his political mentor who had been barred from contesting the election himself after a defamation conviction.—
Alexis Akwagyiram,
semafor.com,
25 May 2026
-
Claims of conspiracy, defamation and trespassing have swirled.—
DANA HEDGPETH THE WASHINGTON POST,
Arkansas Online,
24 May 2026
Noun
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Both players have been regular targets for fan criticism over their attitude this term.—
Guillermo Rai,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
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But that market has faced growing criticism for its dependence on mass production and cultural appropriation — and a portion of travelers are responding by spending their money differently.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
29 May 2026
Noun
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The incursion was the latest in a litany of drone incidents — from both Russia and Ukraine — to afflict NATO member states and leave the 32-member trans-Atlantic organization on edge, drawing strong condemnation from Romania’s allies.—
Stephen McGrath,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
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The dismissive language triggered outrage from the public, condemnation from unions, and questions from regulators about the extent of potential job cuts.—
Claire Zillman,
Fortune,
28 May 2026
Noun
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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
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And the Times Magazine suggested the idea of discovering a similar past disparagement clause to the one that plagued HBO might dissuade any network from tackling a future Jackson project.—
Steve Knopper,
Rolling Stone,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
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International watchdogs warn of democratic backsliding under Vucic, citing police abuses and pressure on critics, while Serbia’s bid for European Union membership faces potential funding cuts over eroding rule of law.—
Jovana Gec,
Los Angeles Times,
24 May 2026
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The change followed a report from a commission that discussed state institutions' history of abuse and neglect, including patient sterilizations at a state hospital in Monson.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 May 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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The five-star analyst highlighted that Energy Transfer raised its full-year earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or EBITDA, guidance, with the company capturing its full-year optimization target in the first quarter itself.—
TipRanks.com Staff,
CNBC,
24 May 2026
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But if the next decade requires materially higher infrastructure spending, more depreciation, heavier compute needs, and lower incremental returns, the old valuation framework may not survive untouched.—
Jim Osman,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2026
Noun
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The part purportedly written by Vazquez mentions years of ridicule and rejection — one of the few full sentences of his written in all caps.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 May 2026
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Commercials that show more diversity in family groups and romantic partners, including same-sex couples and interracial families, may over time decrease the ridicule and discrimination experienced by those who are living in nontraditional family settings.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Denigration.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/denigration. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.
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