denigrate
verb
den·i·grate
ˈde-ni-ˌgrāt 
denigrated; denigrating
1
: to attack the reputation of : defame
denigrate one's opponents
2
: to deny the importance or validity of : belittle
denigrate their achievements
Did you know?
The word denigrate has been part of English since the 16th century and can be traced back to the Latin nigrare, meaning "to blacken." When denigrate was first used, it meant "to cast aspersions on someone's character or reputation." Eventually, it developed a second sense of "to make black" ("factory smoke denigrated the sky"), representing an interesting case of a literal sense (now rare) following a figurative one. Nowadays, you’re most likely to hear denigrate used as a synonym of defame or belittle.
Examples of denigrate in a Sentence
Her story denigrates him as a person and as a teacher.
No one is trying to denigrate the importance of a good education. We all know that it is crucial for success.
denigrating the talents and achievements of women
Recent Examples on the Web
State of play: Trump has made cracking down on immigration one of the cornerstone goals of his second term and has a history of denigrating non-English speaking immigrants.
—
Ivana Saric, Axios, 28 Feb. 2025
The agency was also the subject of a House committee hearing on February 5, during which Rep. Nancy Mace repeatedly used a transphobic slur to denigrate U.S. support for LGBTQ+ programs abroad.
—Samantha Riedel, Them, 12 Feb. 2025
Sherman, on the other hand, was denigrated on the spot.
—Brady Brickner-Wood, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2025
Although Trump has long denigrated Washington, these were the most direct comments of his four-week-old second term describing his desire to strip local control from the District of Columbia.
—Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for denigrate
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Ivana Saric, Axios, 28 Feb. 2025
The agency was also the subject of a House committee hearing on February 5, during which Rep. Nancy Mace repeatedly used a transphobic slur to denigrate U.S. support for LGBTQ+ programs abroad.
—Samantha Riedel, Them, 12 Feb. 2025
Sherman, on the other hand, was denigrated on the spot.
—Brady Brickner-Wood, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2025
Although Trump has long denigrated Washington, these were the most direct comments of his four-week-old second term describing his desire to strip local control from the District of Columbia.
—Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for denigrate
Cite this Entry
“Denigrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/denigrate. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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