disparage
Americanverb (used with object)
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disparages,
present (3rd person singular)
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disparaged,
past participle, past
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disparaging
present participle
verb
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to speak contemptuously of; belittle
-
to damage the reputation of
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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disparagementnoun
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disparagernoun
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disparagingadjective
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undisparagedadjective
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disparaginglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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disparagesimple
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disparagessimple
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have disparagedperfect
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has disparagedperfect
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am disparagingprogressive
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are disparagingprogressive
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is disparagingprogressive
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have been disparagingperfect progressive
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has been disparagingperfect progressive
Past
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disparagedsimple
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had disparagedperfect
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was disparagingprogressive
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were disparagingprogressive
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had been disparagingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of disparage
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French desparag(i)er “to match unequally,” from des- dis- 1 + -parag(i)er, verb derivative of parage “equal rank,” also “high birth, noble descent” ( see peerage)
Explanation
If you haven't got anything nice to say, then it's time to disparage someone. It means to belittle or degrade a person or idea. Disparage is a specific way to describe a certain kind of insult, the kind that secures the insulter's place as superior. It often refers to an opinion or criticism lobbed in print or via word of mouth, not necessarily an act done to someone's face. If someone or something is being disparaged, you will often find a competing interest in the wings.
Vocabulary lists containing disparage
The Bill of Rights
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Grade 11, List 2
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All About That Baseless: Bad-Faith Accusations
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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.
See Examples For:
As we look at the wreckage together, she begins to disparage it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
He called upon people to love their enemies, not rebuke them or disparage their existence.
From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026
Spielberg, for his part, was careful not to disparage streaming.
From Barron's ● Mar. 14, 2026
USA men's ice hockey player Brady Tkachuk has distanced himself from an AI-enhanced White House video in which he appears to disparage Canadians, saying "those words would never come out of my mouth".
From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2026
“It’s an archaic instrument with no room for subtlety. Not to disparage your choice of instrument,” I said quickly.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
Warsh regularly disparages such models and the “economics guild” that developed them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 31, 2026
The order also directed officials to ensure that monuments do not contain content that disparages Americans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2025
I would like to point out that the 18th-century world Messinger so disparages also gave us the freedom of religion, freedom of speech and freedom of the press.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 22, 2023
He disparages the idea that we have fundamental rights that are basic to bodily integrity, human dignity, and equal citizenship, simply because they are not mentioned in the text.
From Slate ● May 18, 2022
He feels tenderness toward her when she disparages herself this way.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
And at a White House cage fight, a former first lady was brazenly disparaged.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
He has long disparaged what he considers the wasteful, zero-sum speed race of high-frequency trading.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
Other research has been disparaged for not using proper quality-control measures.
From Barron's ● Jan. 27, 2026
He disparaged Denmark in particular when recalling how in 1940 it "fell to Germany after just six hours of fighting and was totally unable to defend either itself or Greenland".
From BBC ● Jan. 21, 2026
As he grew to love Maggie, Elisha disparaged her work more often.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
He added a Canadian flag emoji and the caption "this is real" - an apparent attempt at disparaging Canada's military by making fun of the pair's appearance.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
According to an official club incident report, Gabbert didn’t realize he was talking to McArthur’s mom and proceeded to make disparaging comments about her daughter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
Rushing said Wednesday he said nothing disparaging toward Lee.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026
She once received a refund after a flight attendant made a disparaging remark about how she was dressed.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 10, 2026
Nately reacted on sight with bristling enmity to this wicked, depraved and unpatriotic old man who was old enough to remind him of his father and who made disparaging jokes about America.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
