disparage
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
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to speak contemptuously of; belittle
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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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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.
