DISPARAGEMENT Synonyms: 42 Similar and Opposite Words

disparagement

noun

as in defamation

the act of making a person or a thing seem little or unimportant his predictable disparagement of the latest fashions among young people

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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 disparagement That growth has been accompanied by disparagement from some sports fans, who gripe about the company’s scale and the quality of its products. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 30 Sep. 2026 Iamaleava could have allowed the disparagement to compound, but the starting signal-caller is using it as fuel for a 2026 season where many have the Bruins painted as a potential dark horse. — Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026 Her mother, meanwhile, is backed up by her second husband (Kwon), a mild-mannered documentary filmmaker whose profession gives his wife yet more ammunition in her smiling disparagement of Sanghee. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 15 Aug. 2026 These disparagements cut to the core of southern manhood. — Rob Wolfe, The Atlantic, 5 June 2026 And the Times Magazine suggested the idea of discovering a similar past disparagement clause to the one that plagued HBO might dissuade any network from tackling a future Jackson project. — Steve Knopper, Rolling Stone, 22 Apr. 2026 And though Chalamet did not make such insults himself, his comments fit into this broader context of disparagement and dismissal. — Chloe Angyal, Time, 9 Mar. 2026 As February ended, some of the things coming out of the coaches’ mouths felt more like despair than disparagement. — Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2026 But in both cases, although separated by six decades, condemnation, disparagement and misogyny soon followed. — Aniko Bodroghkozy, The Conversation, 24 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for disparagement

Noun

Carlson called on Fox News Media Chief Executive Suzanne Scott to fire Heinrich in a text that came to light three years later when Dominion Voting System filed its defamation suit against the network.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
Envita answered through a spokesman — and also sent me a letter from its lawyer, threatening a defamation action against this publication.

— Trisha Thadani Kirsten Potter Tanya Pérez Devin Murphy, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of defamation

Noun

Carlson has faced criticism for interviewing Holocaust revisionist Darryl Cooper in 2024 and white nationalist Nick Fuentes, who has repeatedly denied the Holocaust, made antisemitic comments, and praised Adolf Hitler.

— Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 3 Oct. 2026
The statement came only after Thomas called out the commissioner, intensifying criticism that the league had been reactive throughout the controversy.

— Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of criticism

Noun

Freedom, mobility; who gets to be an artist; style, ornamentation, artifice; work, leisure; the counterculture; the denigration of femininity; West Coast oddballism.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026
For me, this marks an early moment in the denigration of women.

— Eana Kim, ARTnews.com, 27 Apr. 2026

Definition of denigration

Noun

Videos also surfaced allegedly showing two teachers being attacked by students, provoking condemnation from the French president and officials as well as teaching unions.

— Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
Recent campaign filings by the Yes on Proposition 45 campaign revealed two donations that quickly drew condemnations from Democratic leaders.

— Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of condemnation

Noun

According to industry sources, in 2025 Pinalli’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization stood at 25 million euros.

— Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 30 Sep. 2026
Corporations also benefit from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act with their tax rates decreasing from 35% to 21% and even down to 15% when depreciation deductions were added.

— Dr. Michael Good, Hartford Courant, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of depreciation

Noun

This keeps the performance informal and keeps the narrative — a staggering odyssey of injustices, abuses, travel adventures, extraordinary coincidences, losses, reunions, reflections and self-analysis — from becoming sensationalized.

— Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
RatHat abuses that legitimate feature to establish shell-level access outside the normal Android app sandbox.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of abuse

Noun

This move by Torras signals a broader cultural shift where the utility of a device is no longer seen as a detraction from its style.

— Footwear News, Footwear News, 18 Mar. 2026
Agreeing with Kruse, Commissioner Tal Siddique cited the lack of commercial land as his main detraction for the project.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 24 Feb. 2026

Definition of detraction

Noun

During Season 10, a newly confident Batula — who seemed to despise Cooke from the first minute of the premiere episode — appeared to be poised to launch a triumphant post-divorce arc, free at last from Cooke’s belittlement and verbal abuse.

— Kate Aurthur, Variety, 29 June 2026
Apolline may embrace the social media aspects of her career but George’s belittlement rankles her.

— Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 14 Aug. 2025

Definition of belittlement

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“Disparagement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disparagement. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of disparagement

noun

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