belittle
/bɪˈlɪt(ə)l
/verb [with object]
Dismiss (someone or something) as unimportant: she belittled Amy’s riding skills whenever she could (as adjective belittling) his cruel, belittling remarks...
- If you belittle their opinions or dismiss their problems, they'll stop talking to you.
- He does not dismiss or belittle the gifts and talents that his Creator endowed to him.
- She constantly criticizes and belittles the husband in screaming tones.
Synonyms
disparage, denigrate, run down, deprecate, depreciate, downgrade, play down, trivialize, minimize, make light of, treat lightly, undervalue, underrate, underestimate;
scoff at, sneer at, laugh at, laugh off, mock, ridicule, deride, dismiss, scorn, pour scorn on, cast aspersions on, discredit, vilify, defame, decry, criticize, condemn, censure, abuse, malign, revile;
North American slur
informal do down, do a hatchet job on, take to pieces, pull apart, pick holes in, drag through the mud, have a go at, hit out at, knock, slam, pan, bash, bad-mouth, pooh-pooh, look down one's nose at
British informal rubbish, slate, slag off
archaic hold cheap
rare asperse, derogate, misprize, minify
Derivatives
belittlement
/ noun ...- Her voice was monotone, clearly not enjoying his belittlement.
- Then, the psychological games and emotional belittlement began.
- It has been a long history of belittlement and exploitation.
belittler
- This caught me off guard as this language is usually associated with the belittlers and begrudgers who are endemic in society.
- The work was wonderful, but my boss was a bully and a belittler.
- We want to act as a helper and an empowerer, not a belittler or an enforcer
belittlingly
- It seems belittlingly counter-productive to stick a joke at the end of such a tragic outpouring.
- Weekly class consisted of three hours of belittlingly being told what we did wrong.
- In Stockholm, a young reporter cast scorn on her efforts, comparing them belittlingly to the enormity of the problems that still plague that country.