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
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
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
-
Laughs and insults, all expressed at a high volume, were guaranteed to follow.—
Chris Perkins,
Sun Sentinel,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Leilah Herrera, a player who left the USF team in 2021, said in a deposition video that the insults would fly every practice.—
Julia Haney,
NPR,
28 Mar. 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
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What the city got from some within the police department was more than 80 pages of complaints, criticisms and concerns about then-police chief Mikael Dahlstrom, allegations that led to him resigning in November after the city decided not to carry out a formal investigation.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
4 Apr. 2026
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Scharf also began the discussion of the ballroom by pointing to past media criticisms of the construction of the White House under past presidents.—
Mabinty Quarshie,
The Washington Examiner,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In the days and weeks following the Hamas massacre of innocent Israelis on October 7, 2023, students and colleagues alike in his academic community posted fiery condemnations of and expressions of moral disgust toward … Israel.—
Jesse Brown,
The Atlantic,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Sunni imams issued fatwas, legal condemnations by Islamic religious leaders, against us infidels.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The judge assigned to Amin’s case was Iman Afshari, known in Tehran for his tough sentences—a reputation that led the European Union to place him on a blacklist, in January, for human-rights abuses.—
Cora Engelbrecht,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
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Among other things, the New York Times story portrayed Lively as Hollywood’s latest #MeToo crusader, courageously exposing workplace abuses against women.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Put-downs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/put-downs. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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