belittle
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
-
to consider or speak of (something) as less valuable or important than it really is; disparage
-
to cause to make small; dwarf
Other Word Forms
- belittlement noun
- belittler noun
- belittlingly adverb
Etymology
Origin of belittle
Explanation
To belittle means to put down, or to make another person feel as though they aren't important. Saying mean things about another person literally makes them feel "little." To belittle someone is a cruel way of making someone else seem less important than yourself. A candidate for office might belittle his opponent by pointing out during a press conference that his fellow candidate has an inferior intellect. Belittling doesn't have to come in the form of verbal abuse. A manager who forces his administrative assistant to scrub his office floor with a toothbrush belittles her as well.
Vocabulary lists containing belittle
100 SAT Words Beginning with "B"
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Vocabulary from the Third and Final Presidential Debate, October 19, 2016
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This Week in Words: September 29 - October 5, 2018
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As a Wisconsin grad, and something of a known jerk, my usual move here is to get snarky and belittle the University of Michigan’s brand new national championship in men’s basketball.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026
“I will not belittle that one bit. But I will say, it’s the curse of a leader.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 2026
Although he celebrated intensely, Crawford did not belittle Álvarez, acknowledging the quality of the former champion.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 15, 2025
"There are ways of doing things that don't ostracise people or belittle them. I don't like belittlement."
From BBC • Mar. 19, 2025
I'm hardly qualified to belittle anyone else's pronunciation, but he was setting himself up by acting like such an expert.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
