BELITTLE: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for BELITTLE?

Need another word that means the same as “belittle”? Find 17 synonyms and 30 related words for “belittle” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Belittle” are: denigrate, derogate, minimize, disparage, pick at, diminish, run down, deprecate, depreciate, downgrade, play down, trivialize, make light of, treat lightly, undervalue, underrate, underestimate

Belittle as a Verb

Definitions of "Belittle" as a verb

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “belittle” as a verb can have the following definitions:

• Express a negative opinion of.
• Cause to seem less serious; play down.
• Lessen the authority, dignity, or reputation of.
• Dismiss (someone or something) as unimportant.

Synonyms of "Belittle" as a verb (17 Words)

denigrate	Criticize unfairly; disparage. Doom and gloom merchants who denigrate their own country.
deprecate	Express strong disapproval of; deplore. The teacher should not deprecate his student s efforts.
depreciate	Disparage or belittle (something. The latest cars will depreciate heavily in the first year.
derogate	Deviate from (a set of rules or agreed form of behaviour. This does not derogate from his duty to act honestly and faithfully.
diminish	Cause to seem less impressive or valuable. The new law is expected to diminish the government s chances.
disparage	Express a negative opinion of. She disparaged her student s efforts.
downgrade	Reduce to a lower grade, rank, or level of importance. Some jobs had gradually been downgraded from skilled to semi skilled.
make light of	Appear to begin an activity.
minimize	Reduce (something, especially something undesirable) to the smallest possible amount or degree. The aim is to minimize costs.
pick at	Pay for something.
play down	Behave carelessly or indifferently.
run down	Run with the ball; in such sports as football.
treat lightly	Provide with choice or abundant food or drink.
trivialize	Make trivial or insignificant. Don t trivialize the seriousness of the issue.
underestimate	Assign too low a value to. He had underestimated the new President.
underrate	Underestimate the extent, value, or importance of (someone or something. They vastly underrate their own players.
undervalue	Lose in value. The company s assets were undervalued in its balance sheet.

Usage Examples of "Belittle" as a verb

• She belittled Amy's riding skills whenever she could.
• Don't belittle his influence.
• Don't belittle your colleagues.

Associations of "Belittle" (30 Words)

abase	Behave in a way that belittles or degrades (someone. I watched my colleagues abasing themselves before the board of trustees.
debase	Corrupt debase or make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance often by replacing valuable ingredients with inferior ones. The King was forced to debase the coinage.
decomposition	(biology) the process of decay caused by bacterial or fungal action. The decomposition of organic waste.
decry	Publicly denounce. They decried human rights abuses.
defamation	The action of damaging the good reputation of someone; slander or libel. She sued him for defamation.
defame	Charge falsely or with malicious intent. The journalists have defamed me.
degradation	The condition or process of degrading or being degraded. A trail of human misery and degradation.
degrade	Break down or deteriorate chemically. Vast areas of natural habitats have been degraded.
demean	Reduce in worth or character, usually verbally. Good potential MPs would not demean themselves by setting out to acquire popularity.
demote	Move (someone) to a lower position or rank, usually as a punishment. The head of the army was demoted to deputy defence secretary.
denigrate	Criticize unfairly; disparage. Doom and gloom merchants who denigrate their own country.
deprecation	A prayer to avert or remove some evil or disaster.
deprecatory	Tending to diminish or disparage. Deprecatory remarks about the book.
derogate	Deviate from (a set of rules or agreed form of behaviour. It is typical of him to derogate the powers of reason.
derogatory	Expressive of low opinion. Derogatory comments.
disgrace	Cause (someone) to fall from favour or a position of power or honour. He s a disgrace to the legal profession.
disparage	Regard or represent as being of little worth. She disparaged her student s efforts.
downgrade	The property possessed by a slope or surface that descends. Downgrades by debt rating agencies outnumber upgrades by five to one.
humiliate	Cause to feel shame; hurt the pride of. You ll humiliate me in front of the whole school.
humiliation	State of disgrace or loss of self-respect. He fought back tears of humiliation.
infamy	An evil or wicked act. An act of infamy.
mortify	Practice self-denial of one’s body and appetites. Mortify the flesh.
opprobrium	A state of extreme dishonor- F.D.Roosevelt. The name was a by word of scorn and opprobrium throughout the city.
permafrost	A thick subsurface layer of soil that remains below freezing point throughout the year, occurring chiefly in polar regions. Hilly terrain underlain by permafrost.
relegate	Expel, as if by official decree. She likes to relegate difficult questions to her colleagues.
shame	Make someone feel ashamed. She shamed him into making amends.
slander	Make false and damaging statements about (someone. He is suing the TV company for slander.
smirch	A blemish made by dirt. The window was smirched by heat and smoke.
stultify	Cause (someone) to appear foolish or absurd. Nobody is legally allowed to stultify himself.
sully	United States painter (born in England) of portraits and historical scenes (1783-1872. Sully someone s reputation.