DISCREDITABLE Synonyms: 94 Similar and Opposite Words

discreditable

adjective

(ˌ)dis-ˈkre-də-tə-bəl

Definition of discreditable

as in notorious

not respectable the discreditable conduct of drunken college students celebrating a win by their team

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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 discreditable By the way, the search for waste, fraud and abuse — call it WFA — has a long and discreditable history. — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2025 Any review of these discreditable events requires recognition of an antidote to this foolishness. — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 13 Jan. 2024 Now, the previous autobiographical snippet, like those of the other three men, may have omitted certain discreditable matters. — William T. Vollmann, Harper's Magazine, 16 Oct. 2023

Recent Examples of Synonyms for discreditable

Adjective

The bay is notorious for its strong currents, and within hours of the boat’s sinking, rescuers were also searching the open ocean beyond the Golden Gate Bridge.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 July 2026
His first stint in a Moscow jail, Shtilerman told me, resulted from his involvement in one of Russia’s most notorious financial schemes.

— Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026

Definition of notorious

Adjective

This four-to-five-hour World War I experience, based on the infamous Gallipoli campaign, spent a couple of months as a PC exclusive (and gardnered a bunch of Very Positive feedback).

— Matt Gardner, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
In 1986 Maradona’s infamous uncalled handball/goal for Argentina beat England in the World Cup quarterfinals.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 16 July 2026

Definition of infamous

Adjective

Debbie, named after Coates’ mother, feels betrayed by Judith and her husband, who is involved in shady dealings with an Albanian gang.

— Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026
But the story about the war hero Odysseus, whose journey home with his men is beset by sea storms, shipwrecks, gods, monsters and shady ladies, set the template for literature, comic books, science fiction and Hollywood epics for centuries to come.

— Jim Beckerman, USA Today, 16 July 2026

Definition of shady

Adjective

As part of her release conditions, she has been ordered to stay away from her 13-year-old daughter while the criminal case proceeds.

— Ivan Taylor, CBS News, 14 July 2026
In some regions, a single medical examiner may oversee hundreds of deaths each year, leading to bottlenecks that can slow criminal cases, complicate insurance claims, and leave families waiting months and sometimes years for answers.

— Gregory McDonald, STAT, 13 July 2026

Definition of criminal

Adjective

Some rabbinic readings attribute Lot’s hesitation to leave Sodom to his immoral greed and inordinate wealth.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 July 2026
Court records show that 60-year-old Bradley Kyle Martin, of Dearborn Heights, is charged with using a computer or internet to communicate with another person to commit a crime and accosting children for immoral purposes.

— DeJanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 25 June 2026

Definition of immoral

Adjective

After the laughter ringing through the room subsides, though, Abela does allow for a moment of reverence — for the HBO drama if not for the disreputable people who populate it.

— Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2026
The cultural shift that turned horror cinema from a disreputable, rarely respected grind-house film genre into a billion-dollar-a-year mainstream business has done wonders for the genre’s overall quality.

— Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 29 May 2026

Definition of disreputable

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discredit

discreditable

discredited

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“Discreditable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discreditable. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of discreditable

adjective

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