DENIGRATION Synonyms: 42 Similar and Opposite Words

denigration

noun

Definition of denigration

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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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 denigration Freedom, mobility; who gets to be an artist; style, ornamentation, artifice; work, leisure; the counterculture; the denigration of femininity; West Coast oddballism. — Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for denigration

Noun

Beyond the 2022 case dismissal, in other instances, charges were never filed, information has come out clouding an accuser’s story, or Brown has counter-sued for defamation — details which complicate each story.

— Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2026
Trump has also sued outlets including the BBC, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal for defamation.

— Rob Wile, NBC news, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of defamation

Noun

Einbinder and Sarandon were both detained during the protest, and in the hours after her release, the Hacks star re-upped her unambiguous condemnation of Netanyahu’s New York visit.

— Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Sep. 2026
By the time Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived on the floor of the United Nations, his country had been on the receiving end of scores of condemnations from the podium for two days.

— Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of condemnation

Noun

Iamaleava could have allowed the disparagement to compound, but the starting signal-caller is using it as fuel for a 2026 season where many have the Bruins painted as a potential dark horse.

— Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Her mother, meanwhile, is backed up by her second husband (Kwon), a mild-mannered documentary filmmaker whose profession gives his wife yet more ammunition in her smiling disparagement of Sanghee.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of disparagement

Noun

The pope will meet seven French victims of abuse by Catholic clergy on Sunday in Lourdes.

— Joshua McElwee, Arkansas Online, 26 Sep. 2026
Chuck Outdoors That's it for the basic box, which is made from aluminum and designed to hold up to the abuse of constant travel and use outside.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of abuse

Noun

During Season 10, a newly confident Batula — who seemed to despise Cooke from the first minute of the premiere episode — appeared to be poised to launch a triumphant post-divorce arc, free at last from Cooke’s belittlement and verbal abuse.

— Kate Aurthur, Variety, 29 June 2026
Apolline may embrace the social media aspects of her career but George’s belittlement rankles her.

— Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 14 Aug. 2025

Definition of belittlement

Noun

Conway estimated the deal to be over $100 million less valuable for the city after his questions revealed a pledge by Stonepeak to share 5% of revenues would be weakened by the new owner’s ability to write off interest costs and depreciation.

— Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 24 Sep. 2026
On the other hand, higher Fed rates typically bolster the attractiveness of dollar assets, exerting depreciation pressure on local currencies.

— , CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of depreciation

Noun

Compounding the drought, in 2012, the university added conference championships from 1997 and 2010 to its Wall of Champions at Kyle Field, sparking ridicule.

— The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
All of us speaking the same language, all of us unabashedly sharing our love of the show without fear of ridicule.

— Christopher Watson, ABC News, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of ridicule

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“Denigration.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/denigration. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of denigration

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