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
Orozco’s stickers of abstraction posed the question of whether abstraction—denigrated to its lowest possible level—could now serve as a last sign of resistance and redemption from the totalitarian conditions of reification.
—
Benjamin H. D. Buchloh, Artforum, 1 June 2025
Sensational journalism brought national attention to the feuding families and spawned the hillbilly stereotypes that still denigrate rural Appalachians.
—Ann Kowal Smith, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025
The commutation of Hoover’s sentence denigrates the lives of the children lost to the drugs and bullets of the Gangster Disciples.
—Ronald S. Safer, Chicago Tribune, 30 May 2025
In the meantime, another player has recorded Vader denigrating Pride Month.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for denigrate
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Benjamin H. D. Buchloh, Artforum, 1 June 2025
Sensational journalism brought national attention to the feuding families and spawned the hillbilly stereotypes that still denigrate rural Appalachians.
—Ann Kowal Smith, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025
The commutation of Hoover’s sentence denigrates the lives of the children lost to the drugs and bullets of the Gangster Disciples.
—Ronald S. Safer, Chicago Tribune, 30 May 2025
In the meantime, another player has recorded Vader denigrating Pride Month.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 16 May 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 5 Jun. 2025.
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