1
as in insults
an act or expression showing scorn and usually intended to hurt another's feelings
new hires always have to deal with put-downs and practical jokes from the older employees
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in defamations
the act of making a person or a thing seem little or unimportant
your never-ending put-down of my musical talents is really starting to annoy me
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of put-downs
When Marilyn Walker was a little girl, her grandmother introduced her to sarcasm through genteel put-downs that sounded sweet but weren’t.
—
Angela Haupt, Time, 10 Mar. 2026
Watch a season of the Y2K reality juggernaut and the tone will vacillate wildly between cringe-worthy put-downs via Janice Dickinson, cringier photoshoots, feel-good runway lessons with Miss J, and body positivity monologues from Tyra Banks.
—Madeline Hirsch, InStyle, 17 Feb. 2026
Crockett, a representative from a deep-blue district that includes much of Dallas, has attained fame with snappy put-downs of Republicans, many of which have gone viral on social media.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2026
Many of them are amusing enough to get chuckles and the odd big laugh but a little more wit amongst the throwaway put-downs would have been welcome.
—Richard Kuipers, Variety, 26 Jan. 2026
Angela Haupt, Time, 10 Mar. 2026
Watch a season of the Y2K reality juggernaut and the tone will vacillate wildly between cringe-worthy put-downs via Janice Dickinson, cringier photoshoots, feel-good runway lessons with Miss J, and body positivity monologues from Tyra Banks.
—Madeline Hirsch, InStyle, 17 Feb. 2026
Crockett, a representative from a deep-blue district that includes much of Dallas, has attained fame with snappy put-downs of Republicans, many of which have gone viral on social media.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2026
Many of them are amusing enough to get chuckles and the odd big laugh but a little more wit amongst the throwaway put-downs would have been welcome.
—Richard Kuipers, Variety, 26 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for put-downs
Noun
-
There are comic insults and lines of great beauty.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
21 Apr. 2026
-
But instead of paving the way for some good ol’ fashioned infidelity, the liquid courage causes the women to turn on each other, with the evening devolving into inebriated insults and recriminations.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
First seen at a night-club table of menacing lowlifes, Ida, whose mother tongue is Brooklynese, suddenly switches to a heavy British accent and dispenses a torrent of highly literary sarcasms.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
After less than eight months on the job, Kent resigned to protest the war and has since gone public with blistering criticisms of the administration.—
Tom Nichols,
The Atlantic,
25 Apr. 2026
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Johnson has pushed back on Witzburg's criticisms, saying her time as inspector general has politicized the office, damaging its independence and credibility.—
Chris Tye,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
With a few notable exceptions, Leo kept his political remarks to the leaders largely diplomatic, using a language of encouragement and subtle messaging rather than headline-grabbing condemnations.—
NICOLE WINFIELD THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
24 Apr. 2026
-
With a few notable exceptions, Leo kept his political remarks to the leaders largely diplomatic, using a language of encouragement and subtle messaging rather than headline-grabbing condemnations.—
Nicole Winfield,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
We were supposed to be the ones who were preventing a lot of these abuses.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
25 Apr. 2026
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This story was originally published by ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power.—
Craig R. McCoy,
CNN Money,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Put-downs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/put-downs. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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