den·i·grate

[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.
2.
to treat or represent as lacking in value or importance; belittle; disparage: to denigrate someone's contributions to a project.
3.
to make black; blacken: rain clouds denigrating the sky.

Origin:
1520–30; < Latin dēnigrātus (past participle of dēnigrāre to blacken), equivalent to dē- de- + nigr(āre) to make black + -ātus -ate1

den·i·gra·tion, noun
den·i·gra·tive, adjective
den·i·gra·tor, noun
den·i·gra·to·ry [den-i-gruh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] , adjective
self-den·i·grat·ing, adjective
self-den·i·gra·tion, noun


1. malign, besmirch, slander, traduce, disparage, vilify. See decry.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
denigrate (ˈdɛnɪˌɡreɪt) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
vb
1.  (tr) to belittle or disparage the character of; defame
2.  a rare word for blacken
 
[C16: from Latin dēnigrāre to make very black, defame, from nigrāre to blacken, from niger black]
 
deni'gration
 
n
 
'denigrator
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

denigrate
1526, from L. denigratus, pp. of denigrare "to blacken, defame," from de- "completely" + nigr-, stem of niger "black," of unknown origin. "Apparently disused in 18th c. and revived in 19th c." [OED].
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Economists love to denigrate politicians but like it or not, the political
  process is how policies gain legitimacy.
They often praise other musicians, denigrate their own skills and talk about
  how much more they have to practice.
My impression of blog discussions is that many are dominated by the local
  militants who denigrate moderate positions.
Persons are free in this country until they set out to falsely denigrate
  someone else's reputation.
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