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YOUR VOCABULARY, ONE WORD AT A TIME

discredit

Verb

IPA /dɪsˈkredɪt/

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Meaning in plain English

To make a claim, idea or piece of evidence seem unreliable, so that people stop believing it is true.

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Pronunciation

discredit/dɪsˈkredɪt/

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  1. A theory is widely believed

  2. New evidence contradicts it

  3. People stop trusting the theory

Evidence can discredit a theory by showing that it is unreliable.

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Examples in context

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  1. The old photograph discredited the rumour about our neighbour's secret past.
  2. New measurements discredited the theory presented in the earlier paper.

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To make a claim, idea or piece of evidence seem unreliable, so that people stop believing it is true.
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discredit — To make a claim, idea or piece of evidence seem unreliable, so that people stop believing it is true.

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To make a claim, idea or piece of evidence seem unreliable, so that people stop believing it is true.

Compare: The old photograph discredited the rumour about our neighbour's secret past.

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Word origin

Formed from dis- and credit, following related French and Italian words.

Did you know?

A theory can be described as discredited when evidence has seriously damaged its credibility.

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discredit

/dɪsˈkredɪt/ (Verb)

“Use discredit a claim or theory. Give evidence when saying that an idea has been discredited.”

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