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 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 Asserting claims for tortious interference, civil conspiracy, commercial disparagement and violations of Illinois consumer fraud laws, the Butlers sought more than $50 million in compensatory damages and over $200 million in punitive damages. — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 22 June 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

Beyond the 2022 case dismissal, in other instances, charges were never filed, information has come out clouding an accuser’s story, or Brown has counter-sued for defamation — details which complicate each story.

— Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2026
Trump has also sued outlets including the BBC, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal for defamation.

— Rob Wile, NBC news, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of defamation

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

Einbinder and Sarandon were both detained during the protest, and in the hours after her release, the Hacks star re-upped her unambiguous condemnation of Netanyahu’s New York visit.

— Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Sep. 2026
By the time Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived on the floor of the United Nations, his country had been on the receiving end of scores of condemnations from the podium for two days.

— Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of condemnation

Noun

Conway estimated the deal to be over $100 million less valuable for the city after his questions revealed a pledge by Stonepeak to share 5% of revenues would be weakened by the new owner’s ability to write off interest costs and depreciation.

— Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 24 Sep. 2026
On the other hand, higher Fed rates typically bolster the attractiveness of dollar assets, exerting depreciation pressure on local currencies.

— , CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of depreciation

Noun

The pope will meet seven French victims of abuse by Catholic clergy on Sunday in Lourdes.

— Joshua McElwee, Arkansas Online, 26 Sep. 2026
Chuck Outdoors That's it for the basic box, which is made from aluminum and designed to hold up to the abuse of constant travel and use outside.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 25 Sep. 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 29 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of disparagement

noun

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