belittle

[ bih-lit-l ]
See synonyms for: belittlebelittledbelittlesbelittling on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),be·lit·tled, be·lit·tling.
  1. to regard or portray as less impressive or important than appearances indicate; depreciate; disparage.

Origin of belittle

1
An Americanism dating back to 1775–85; be- + little

Other words for belittle

Other words from belittle

  • be·lit·tle·ment, noun
  • be·lit·tler, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use belittle in a sentence

  • The press — both the tabloids and more credible, high-profile outlets — hounded women like Spears for disturbingly intimate details of their lives, then belittled and even villainized them for those very details.

  • It’s been used to elevate one man’s patriotism over another’s, to declare some parts of the country more authentically American than others, to belittle some people’s hurt while carefully nursing others through their pain.

    Democracy survived, barely | Robin Givhan | January 21, 2021 | Washington Post
  • And not only that, but (and I say this in solidarity, not belittlement) the African humidity had wreaked havoc on her hair.

    Why Hillary Lashed Out | Tina Brown | August 12, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • Many of them surpass it in grandeur, and this belittlement of our globe shows a more sublime ideal of God.

    Bouvard and Pcuchet, part 2 | Gustave Flaubert
  • This I call the danger of perfection, our possible belittlement through beauty.

    The Teacher | George Herbert Palmer

British Dictionary definitions for belittle

belittle

/ (bɪˈlɪtəl) /


verb(tr)
  1. to consider or speak of (something) as less valuable or important than it really is; disparage

  2. to cause to make small; dwarf

Derived forms of belittle

  • belittlement, noun
  • belittler, noun
  • belittlingly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012