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
Henry’s wife Yasmin (Marisa Abela) ultimately convinces Hayley to accuse Dycker of assault, discrediting his story about Tender, and weaponizing #MeToo-era politics.
—
Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2026
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
Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discrediting
Verb
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Some, like Zdorovetskiy, have been accused of assaulting and humiliating their targets as viewers push for violence.—
Shira Moolten,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Mar. 2026
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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
Verb
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This founding tenet of the Bel Paese now looks set to change — ending diaspora dreams of returning to the mother country, and meaning that Italians who move abroad risk denying citizenship to their descendants.—
Julia Buckley,
CNN Money,
14 Mar. 2026
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This year there have been rumors about Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal joining forces for Reiner, but the organizers are neither confirming nor denying that reunion.—
Lindsey Bahr,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Late in the evening, the sheriff's office posted that no injuries or deaths had been reported from the storm, refuting social media rumors.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA TODAY,
11 Mar. 2026
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But the company is refuting the claims.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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These are embarrassing own goals that Republicans simply can’t afford.—
S.E. Cupp,
New York Daily News,
4 Mar. 2026
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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
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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The persistence of this magnitude of team-level failure seeps into leaguewide impressions of veteran Canucks players, limiting their exchange value, or, in the case of players that are in their late 20s or early 30s and signed to long-term contracts, negating it entirely.—
Thomas Drance,
New York Times,
11 Mar. 2026
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Another reason is that in many European leagues, a large share of broadcasting revenue comes from viewers’ pay-TV subscriptions, negating some of the incentives behind sweeping ad rollouts.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Doja Cat posted and then deleted a TikTok slamming Chalamet for his art-shaming behavior.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
12 Mar. 2026
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No amount of shaming could make Jamie give up her favorite pastime.—
Bea Hines,
Miami Herald,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Discrediting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discrediting. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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