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
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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
-
This announcement, humiliating the involved member, is harmful.—
Kelly G. Richardson,
Oc Register,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Seniors can go to virtually any doctor (since nearly all doctors accept traditional Medicare) and receive whatever care their doctor orders (since there is no insurance company denying coverage).—
Marianne Pizzitola,
New York Daily News,
31 Jan. 2026
-
The White House referred the Miami Herald to a statement on the DOJ website, denying any credibility in any accusations against the president.—
Claire Healy,
Miami Herald,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The plethora of fourth-quarter collapses offers refuting evidence.—
Sam McDowell
January 27,
Kansas City Star,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Being true to those principles matters more than refuting a talking point from any pundit or any bulletin-board material spouted by any rival.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Recently, Ryan spoke about the Beckham situation, the process of writing material as a mother without embarrassing her kids and her new goal of returning to the career trajectory of her pre-pregnant self in the near future.—
Deputy Entertainment,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Some mushroom bills backfired when their true impacts became known, embarrassing legislators who voted for them, and forcing them to backtrack.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
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Pearl, Dale’s adult daughter, vacillates between disbelieving that her father committed suicide and blaming her mother for it.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
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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Its stock has dropped over 30% within less than two months on as many as eight separate occasions in recent years, erasing billions in market capitalization and negating significant gains in a single correction.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
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The council, with Michtom opposing, unanimously agreed to extend the deadline, negating the fines, through April.—
Kaitlin McCallum,
Hartford Courant,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Content promoting extreme beauty standards, unhealthy dieting, or body shaming also falls under these limits.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Jan. 2026
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Money-minded Venus is squaring curative Chiron, pushing you to match your spending habits with your values (without shaming yourself or others).—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Discrediting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discrediting. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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