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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in refuting
to prove to be false
the pseudoscience of phrenology has been thoroughly discredited
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of discrediting
Supporters of Pahlavi were particularly vocal in Mashhad this month, as attested by the prevalence of pro-monarchy graffiti on city walls, and the regime’s propaganda devoted particular attention to discrediting the former crown prince.
—
Davood Moradian, The Atlantic, 26 Jan. 2026
Elordi and Giannulli appeared to be going strong over the next two years, with sources discrediting breakup speculation to PEOPLE in January 2024 and as the two vacationed together in Italy the following September.
—Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 15 Jan. 2026
Politically, the regime has rotted from within, discarding, discrediting, or detaining its own kind.
—Robin Wright, New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2026
Megan thee Stallion, legal name Megan Pete, sued Milagro Cooper last year for defamation, accusing her of working with Tory Lanez on discrediting her during his own trial with Pete where he was convicted of shooting her in the foot.
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 24 Nov. 2025
On Thursday, India’s Press Information Bureau dismissed earlier social-media posts claiming that a Tejas aircraft had an oil leak during the air show, saying they were aimed at discrediting the fighter’s established technical reliability with unfounded claims, according to The Associated Press.
—Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
At first the French suffered defeats, discrediting the Directory.
—Literary Hub, 19 Nov. 2025
Advertisement All of this Mormon pop culture has helped to create an impression of a religion comparable to, say, Catholicism, with adherents ranging from orthodox to casual and a history of covering up abuse that has stained its establishment without fundamentally discrediting its belief system.
—Judy Berman, Time, 12 Nov. 2025
Separately, court records show Loginova faces more charges for discrediting the army.
—Reuters, NBC news, 11 Nov. 2025
Davood Moradian, The Atlantic, 26 Jan. 2026
Elordi and Giannulli appeared to be going strong over the next two years, with sources discrediting breakup speculation to PEOPLE in January 2024 and as the two vacationed together in Italy the following September.
—Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 15 Jan. 2026
Politically, the regime has rotted from within, discarding, discrediting, or detaining its own kind.
—Robin Wright, New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2026
Megan thee Stallion, legal name Megan Pete, sued Milagro Cooper last year for defamation, accusing her of working with Tory Lanez on discrediting her during his own trial with Pete where he was convicted of shooting her in the foot.
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 24 Nov. 2025
On Thursday, India’s Press Information Bureau dismissed earlier social-media posts claiming that a Tejas aircraft had an oil leak during the air show, saying they were aimed at discrediting the fighter’s established technical reliability with unfounded claims, according to The Associated Press.
—Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
At first the French suffered defeats, discrediting the Directory.
—Literary Hub, 19 Nov. 2025
Advertisement All of this Mormon pop culture has helped to create an impression of a religion comparable to, say, Catholicism, with adherents ranging from orthodox to casual and a history of covering up abuse that has stained its establishment without fundamentally discrediting its belief system.
—Judy Berman, Time, 12 Nov. 2025
Separately, court records show Loginova faces more charges for discrediting the army.
—Reuters, NBC news, 11 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discrediting
Verb
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First there was Norwegian’s Sturla Holm Lægreid confessing to cheating on his girlfriend during a live interview after winning the bronze medal and tearfully begging her to come back (shockingly, humiliating his ex on national television didn’t work).—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
-
At one point at the table, Jane ran a fork down the side of Robert's face, leaving red lines, humiliating him.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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And Pete Hegseth’s advice on sending in federal forces can be inferred by his support of a pastor calling for denying women the vote.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
21 Feb. 2026
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Egbert made her point as a legislative committee met at the Capitol to consider a bill by a fellow representative, Republican Lucas Cayler of Caldwell, to limit instances in which criminal charges can be brought against parents for denying medical care or other basic needs to their children.—
Sarah Cutler,
Idaho Statesman,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But the company is refuting the claims.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
16 Feb. 2026
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But Kennedy was equally as defiant and doubled down on his stance, strongly refuting the allegations directed towards him.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Fairchild played the free-wheeling bon vivant Nora Tyler Bing on five episodes of the sitcom classic, unwittingly embarrassing Perry's Chandler Bing to the delight of his pals.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 Feb. 2026
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One day, Will goes viral after embarrassing ROAR league MVP, Mane Attraction (Aaron Pierre), during a streetball challenge, prompting his favorite team, the Vineland Thorns, to sign him to a season-ending contract in a desperate attempt to juice ticket sales.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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When Mom reached Dad on the telephone in the White House pantry to commiserate over the earth-shattering news, Dad’s response was disbelieving.—
John Wrory Ficklin,
Time,
11 Feb. 2026
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The higher-ups are disbelieving, but Alex points out that the network has a fancy new AI that can replicate her voice in a zillion languages.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The plotting becomes needlessly complicated at times, such as with Jack becoming a local hero after foiling a burglary, and later disgracing himself with a drunken tirade at a Christmas tree lighting ceremony, which leads to him being arrested and put on trial.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Without proper passivation, the wafer edges act as a drain, negating the theoretical performance benefits these wafers could provide.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Feb. 2026
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The Supreme Court issued the Dred Scott decision in March 1857, both negating the citizenship of Black Americans and Congress’s power to limit the expansion of slavery.—
Jake Lundberg,
The Atlantic,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Margot Robbie opened up about an experience with body shaming during an interview with Charli XCX on February 9.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
10 Feb. 2026
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Validating women’s experiences is essential, but repeatedly blaming or shaming men won’t get us there.—
Jelena Kecmanovic,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Discrediting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discrediting. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
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