as in disgrace
the state of having lost the esteem of others
to his everlasting discredit, the coach was found to have placed bets against his own team
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to humiliate
to reduce to a lower standing in one's own eyes or in others' eyes
attempted to discredit her political opponents by deliberately spreading false rumors
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to deny
to think not to be true or real
I discredit the story that the old inn is haunted
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to refute
to prove to be false
the pseudoscience of phrenology has been thoroughly discredited
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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 discredit
Monroe Trombly, Louisville Courier Journal, 7 Nov. 2025
Messaging must make distinctions, but also avoid getting lost in parenthetic abstractions or potentially easier-to-discredit targets.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2025
Adam Kirsch, The Atlantic, 3 May 2026
The apparent goal is to discredit accusers in public — then circulate the smears to their social circles — as well as demoralize adversaries amid legal disputes, forcing quiet settlements on preferred terms.
—Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for discredit
Noun
Phillips also found sufficient evidence to determine that Weaver violated policy by making remarks to the officer and the Heritage Creek police chief that brought discredit upon him as a member of LMPD.
—Monroe Trombly, Louisville Courier Journal, 7 Nov. 2025
Messaging must make distinctions, but also avoid getting lost in parenthetic abstractions or potentially easier-to-discredit targets.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2025
Verb
But whereas leftist thinkers starting with Marx saw the liberal ideal as totally discredited, a mere camouflage for capitalist power, Habermas kept faith with the utopian potential of liberalism.
—Adam Kirsch, The Atlantic, 3 May 2026
The apparent goal is to discredit accusers in public — then circulate the smears to their social circles — as well as demoralize adversaries amid legal disputes, forcing quiet settlements on preferred terms.
—Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for discredit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discredit
Noun
-
Generally regarded as being in the moderate wing of the left-leaning party, Streeting was friendly with Peter Mandelson, the once-influential Labour figure now in disgrace over his friendship with Epstein.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 May 2026
-
Their head coach for qualifying, Steve McClaren, resigned immediately in disgrace, and Speid—a certified accountant who’s coached in Jamaica’s domestic league for more than a decade—took over.—
Franklin Leonard,
Vanity Fair,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
In another case, a witness described discovering the body of a man whose genitals had been severed, lying beside the body of a woman holding them, in what the report described as an apparent effort to degrade and humiliate the victims.—
Amelie Botbol,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
-
Those who don’t get the job leave diminished, sometimes humiliated, and the institution absorbs the damage quietly for years.—
Paul Hardart,
Fortune,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
The medical providers Cole and Mosley accused denied wrongdoing.—
Jo Yurcaba,
NBC news,
16 May 2026
-
Weinstein’s attorneys have denied that encounter ever took place, and have argued that the trial judge improperly withheld evidence that would have bolstered his alibi.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Cuban officials have angrily refuted the pressure campaign and promised to resist any military intervention with force.—
Patrick Oppmann,
CNN Money,
14 May 2026
-
Cento refuted the claims made in the complaint and will seek dismissal of the lawsuit in court, a company spokesperson told The Times on Monday.—
Itzel Luna,
Chicago Tribune,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
Bryna Laub, editor of Daytime Serial Newsletter, felt the show besmirched the sanctity of soaps and contributed to the broader currents of shame surrounding the genre.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
-
There’s no shame in the aging game, though.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
You’re locked in a cage with another human, that wants to beat the s*** out of you, embarrass you in front of millions of people.—
Sarah Shephard,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
-
The Sixers were embarrassed by the Knicks 144-114 in Game 4 in front of a New York-heavy crowd in South Philadelphia.—
Tom Dougherty,
CBS News,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
That same disbelieving fullness.—
Vin Diesel,
Variety,
16 May 2026
-
The responsibility lies with the referee to stop the game, and there is no reason to disbelieve that Palace would have acted in a sporting manner had Woodman turned out to be seriously injured.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In the fourth, Rivero was called for catcher’s interference, negating what would have been an inning-ending double play.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
9 May 2026
-
The inclusion of mindfulness features and content could effectively negate the need for additional dedicated services like Calm or Headspace, which each cost $70-$80 a year.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Discredit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discredit. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
