as in disgrace
the state of having lost the esteem of others
to his everlasting discredit, the coach was found to have placed bets against his own team
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to humiliate
to reduce to a lower standing in one's own eyes or in others' eyes
attempted to discredit her political opponents by deliberately spreading false rumors
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to deny
to think not to be true or real
I discredit the story that the old inn is haunted
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to refute
to prove to be false
the pseudoscience of phrenology has been thoroughly discredited
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 discredit
Ellen Cushing,
The Atlantic,
22 Jan. 2026
The memo notes several sustained violations of Austin Police Department general orders, including failure to de-escalate, unreasonable response to resistance, inaccurate and misleading report writing, dishonesty and acts bringing discredit upon the department.
—
Dante Motley,
Austin American Statesman,
18 Dec. 2025
Britannica Editors,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
10 June 2026
Industry pushback After the study’s researchers released a draft report last year, the alcohol industry mobilized against it, launching campaigns to discredit its work.
—
Laura Ungar,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for discredit
Noun
The federal government has embarked on a concerted, and largely successful, effort to undermine, discredit, and defund serious scientific research at any opportunity.
—
Ellen Cushing,
The Atlantic,
22 Jan. 2026
The memo notes several sustained violations of Austin Police Department general orders, including failure to de-escalate, unreasonable response to resistance, inaccurate and misleading report writing, dishonesty and acts bringing discredit upon the department.
—
Dante Motley,
Austin American Statesman,
18 Dec. 2025
Verb
Those accusations have long been discredited.
—
Britannica Editors,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
10 June 2026
Industry pushback After the study’s researchers released a draft report last year, the alcohol industry mobilized against it, launching campaigns to discredit its work.
—
Laura Ungar,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for discredit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discredit
Noun
-
Just two years earlier a president had resigned in disgrace after what had been one of the nation’s toughest constitutional challenges, putting immense pressure on Congress and the Supreme Court to respond to a rogue executive branch.
-
Shifting gears, my PGA TOUR betting record this season is a disgrace.
Verb
-
Israel must leave humiliated and defeated — and that is exactly what will happen.
-
Instead of demanding personal fealty or humiliating them to assert personal dominance, Lincoln absorbed their egos and occasional slights, elevating their talents and turning his fiercest political adversaries into his most devoted champions.
Verb
-
His opponent claimed that created a conflict of interest, which Weiser denied.
-
The two housekeepers denied having such a conversation with Brown, noting language differences would have made such a discussion unlikely.
Verb
-
Two other retired judges later published their own piece refuting Gilliard’s contention.
-
Fortunately, video replay allows people to validate—or refute—a referee’s decision.
Noun
-
Women often bear the brunt of the shame and grief that comes from divorce, and for many women, divorce can be seen as a personal failure.
-
Concurrently, adult children often feel shame about accepting money and can also feel judged by the older generation.
Verb
-
The Chicago White Sox, a team many left for dead at the start of the year, embarrassed the Kansas City Royals Friday night, 22-1.
-
But combined with Disney‘s embarrassing The Mandalorian and Grogu influencer stunt that backfired, a movie’s first reactions on social media are increasingly being met with equal amounts of fan skepticism.
Verb
-
That same disbelieving fullness.
-
The responsibility lies with the referee to stop the game, and there is no reason to disbelieve that Palace would have acted in a sporting manner had Woodman turned out to be seriously injured.
Verb
-
People don’t get to negate that for clicks or headlines.
-
But maintenance will be critical to avoid paying an early withdrawal fee, which can easily negate most or all of the interest earned to that point.
Cite this Entry
“Discredit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discredit. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
