Synonyms of discrediting

discrediting

verb

present participle of discredit

1

as in humiliating

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

• humiliating
• embarrassing
• disgracing
• shaming
• degrading
• insulting
• debasing
• dishonoring
• confusing
• humbling
• demeaning
• cheapening
• criticizing
• rattling
• lowering
• abasing
• ridiculing
• fouling
• diminishing
• chastening
• taking down
• minimizing
• belittling
• disparaging
• sinking
• detracting
• discounting
• slandering
• smirching
• maligning
• disconcerting
• defaming
• mortifying
• condemning
• decrying
• libeling
• confounding
• discountenancing
• castigating
• depreciating
• discomfiting
• denouncing
• flustering
• defiling
• fazing
• affronting
• bad-mouthing
• damning
• nonplussing
• censuring
• writing off
• abashing
• crying down
• putting down
• execrating
• reprobating
• reprehending

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• elevating
• exalting
• praising
• citing
• aggrandizing
• recognizing
• commending
• deifying
• honoring
• celebrating
• congratulating
• canonizing
• complimenting
• applauding
• acknowledging
• cheering
• lauding
• extolling
• boasting
• touting
• hailing
• saluting
• acclaiming
• eulogizing
• decorating
• highlighting
• promoting
• advancing
• glorifying
• spotlighting
• dignifying
• magnifying
• lifting
• raising
• boosting
• feting
• enthroning
• upgrading
• ennobling
• enshrining
• uplifting
• playing up
• idealizing
• romanticizing
• enskying

2

as in denying

to think not to be true or real

I discredit the story that the old inn is haunted

Synonyms & Similar Words

• denying
• disbelieving
• negating
• doubting
• refuting
• disproving
• rejecting
• distrusting
• mistrusting
• suspecting
• debunking
• deriding
• repudiating
• pooh-poohing
• scoffing (at)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• believing
• accepting
• swallowing
• crediting
• trusting

3

as in refuting

to prove to be false

the pseudoscience of phrenology has been thoroughly discredited

Synonyms & Similar Words

• refuting
• overturning
• disproving
• rebutting
• challenging
• falsifying
• debunking
• discussing
• confuting
• confounding
• questioning
• disconfirming
• belying
• contesting
• overthrowing
• shooting down
• doubting
• debating
• giving the lie to
• mistrusting
• querying
• talking over
• hashing (over)
• mooting

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• establishing
• proving
• confirming
• verifying
• validating
• supporting
• showing
• documenting
• recording
• evidencing
• witnessing
• identifying
• corroborating
• backing (up)
• certifying
• substantiating
• demonstrating
• evincing
• attesting
• displaying
• illustrating
• manifesting
• buttressing
• authenticating
• adducing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of discrediting

The newspaper was fined after it was accused of discrediting Russia’s armed forces, and it also was declared a foreign agent. — ABC News, 9 Nov. 2026

The newspaper’s closure follows years of pressure As part of the Kremlin’s rampant crackdown on critics, Novaya Gazeta was fined after it was accused of discrediting Russia’s armed forces. — Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026

Instead of discrediting infringement arguments, this year generative AI company Bria launched Fibo, a tool that pays artist royalties to the creators of the original references. — Rae Witte, Time, 15 Oct. 2026

Matthew Cohen—who has also gone by Jason Goose—played his own part in discrediting the files. — Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026

This isn’t about discrediting merengue, a genre that also deserves to be celebrated, respected and protected. — Sigal Ratner-Arias, Billboard, 16 Sep. 2026

The release of his diaries though, revealed some thoroughly discrediting and upsetting details about Fauci's private beliefs. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 Aug. 2026

My fear is that poor implementation and, above all, a failure to take accountability seriously will end up discrediting good ideas. — Rachel Canter, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026

In April 2024, Hayden agreed to pay a $5,000 civil penalty for violating conflict of interest law by allowing his office to issue an official press statement aimed at discrediting his primary opponent, Arroyo, days before the election. — Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 8 Apr. 2026