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View synonyms for denigrate

denigrate

[ den-i-greyt ]

verb (used with object)

, den·i·grat·ed, den·i·grat·ing.
  1. to speak damagingly of; criticize in a derogatory manner; sully; defame:

    to denigrate someone's character.

    Synonyms: vilify, disparage, traduce, slander, besmirch, malign

  2. to treat or represent as lacking in value or importance; belittle; disparage:

    to denigrate someone's contributions to a project.

  3. Archaic. to make black; darken:

    rain clouds denigrating the sky.



denigrate

/ ˈdɛnɪˌɡreɪt /

verb

  1. tr to belittle or disparage the character of; defame
  2. a rare word for blacken
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Derived Forms

  • ˌdeniˈgration, noun
  • ˈdeniˌgrator, noun
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Other Words From

  • den·i·gra·tion [den-i-, grey, -sh, uh, n], noun
  • den·i·gra·tive adjective
  • den·i·gra·tor noun
  • den·i·gra·to·ry [den, -i-gr, uh, -tawr-ee], adjective
  • self-den·i·grat·ing adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of denigrate1

First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin dēnigrātus (past participle of dēnigrāre “to blacken”), equivalent to dē- de- + nigr(āre) “to make black” + -ātus -ate 1
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Word History and Origins

Origin of denigrate1

C16: from Latin dēnigrāre to make very black, defame, from nigrāre to blacken, from niger black
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Synonym Study

See decry.
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Example Sentences

Fans might expect the men in charge of the four major North American pro sports leagues, the NBA included, to step up and act whenever something or someone denigrates the purity of the game, or when societal right-and-wrongs seep into the sport.

From the left came mainly words of dismay and indignation for the severity of the sentence, while the right denigrated Lucano.

From Time

Still, in the web’s ghastly crawl spaces, a series of inflammatory subreddits and Facebook groups are cropping up to declare Laundrie the real victim in this weeks-long drama, and denigrating Petito herself as the abuser.

So instead of feeling denigrated or ostracized, they feel seen and valued as part of the academic community.

The reality, though, is that Carlson is espousing an obviously false line in an effort to both denigrate Democrats as desperate and to cast immigrants as a dangerous force aimed at toppling America as we know it.

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denierdenigration