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denigrate

Verb

IPA /ˈdenɪɡreɪt/

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Meaning in plain English

To unfairly speak of someone or something as worthless, unimportant or inferior.

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Pronunciation

denigrate/ˈdenɪɡreɪt/

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Someone completes worthwhile work
A critic unfairly dismisses its value
The person's achievement is undermined

To denigrate someone or their work is to criticise it unfairly as lacking value.

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Examples in context

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He tried to denigrate her hobby, but she remained proud of it.
The reviewer criticised the evidence without denigrating the researchers.

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He tried to ________ her hobby, but she remained proud of it.

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denigrate — To unfairly speak of someone or something as worthless, unimportant or inferior.

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To unfairly speak of someone or something as worthless, unimportant or inferior.

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Word origin

From Latin denigrare, whose earlier literal meaning was to blacken or darken.

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Denigrate takes a direct object, which can be a person, achievement or idea.

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