Synonyms of put-downs

put-downs

noun

plural of put-down

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

• insults
• sarcasms
• outrages
• barbs
• epithets
• indignities
• slurs
• slights
• affronts
• slaps
• brickbats
• darts
• attacks
• names
• digs
• offenses
• personalities
• taunts
• pokes
• gibes
• criticisms
• dises
• sneers
• cuts
• jeers
• invectives
• catcalls
• quips
• disgraces
• girds
• abuses
• vituperations
• shames
• disapprovals
• mocks
• swipes
• tortures
• torments
• knocks
• opprobriums
• slams
• dishonors

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• compliments
• commendations
• accolades
• praises
• acclaim
• flatteries
• applauses
• adulations

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

• defamations
• criticisms
• denigrations
• condemnations
• disparagements
• abuses
• detractions
• depreciations
• slanders
• derogations
• vilifications
• calumnies
• libels
• diminishments
• deprecations
• ridicules
• invectives
• belittlements
• aspersions
• denunciations
• vituperations
• censures
• denouncements
• derisions
• mockeries
• minimizations
• de-emphases

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• exaltations
• praises
• magnifications
• glorifications
• acclaim
• aggrandizements
• commendations
• approvals
• blessings
• ennoblements
• approbations
• hypes
• pufferies

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of put-downs

The excellent Benton plays Paulina — the Regina George-esque queen bee at a girls’ high school in 1986 Ghana — with snide stares, biting put-downs and internalized torment. — Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026

Hilton’s edgy attitude and pugnacious put-downs would place him right at home among the network’s collection of trolls, provocateurs and Democrat-bashing gargoyles. — Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026

Trump, of course, is famous for put-downs whose cruelty is part of their appeal. — Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 28 July 2026

The series combines potty-mouthed put-downs with more sentimental story lines. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 25 June 2026

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

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