discredit

[ dis-kred-it ]

verb (used with object)

1. to injure the credit or reputation of; defame:

   an effort to discredit honest politicians.

   Synonyms: undermine, tarnish, disgrace, disparage

2. to show to be undeserving of trust or belief; destroy confidence in:

   Later research discredited earlier theories.

3. to give no credence to; disbelieve:

   There was good reason to discredit the witness.

noun

1. loss or lack of belief or confidence; disbelief; distrust:

   His theories met with general discredit.

2. loss or lack of repute or esteem; disrepute.
3. something that damages a good reputation:

   This behavior will be a discredit to your good name.

discredit

/ dɪsˈkrɛdɪt /

verb

1. to damage the reputation of
2. to cause to be disbelieved or distrusted
3. to reject as untrue or of questionable accuracy

noun

1. a person, thing, or state of affairs that causes disgrace
2. damage to a reputation
3. lack of belief or confidence

Other Words From

• undis·credit·ed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of discredit¹

First recorded in 1550–60; dis- ¹ + credit

Example Sentences

That this was the publicly offered reason for his failure to appear instead of the fact that he lacked any credibility on the subject is, again, a discredit to the elected officials who invited him.

From Washington Post

Banning them from school sports would not make any child’s life better or safer, but it would bring discredit and economic hardship to the state, which likely would lose NCAA and professional championships.

From Washington Blade

In its attempt to discredit the story, the JPO inadvertently confirmed that fact.

From The Daily Beast

I had no memory of the other two, and that information was used to discredit my recollection of what had happened to me.

From The Daily Beast

The Ralph Retort, a paragon of ethical journalism websites, decided to make crowdsourcing stuff to discredit me into a project.

From The Daily Beast

One of the things that these enemies of Islam are trying to discredit and eliminate is the hejab.

From The Daily Beast

That was the playbook the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth used to discredit then-Sen.

From The Daily Beast

It is by no means our purpose to seek to throw discredit on any of the great religions of the world.

From Project Gutenberg

Open opposition was impossible, but on the following Sunday an attempt was made to discredit the new ritual by a trick.

From Project Gutenberg

It is observations of this kind, particularly, that have served to discredit craniology as an independent science.

From Project Gutenberg

They compel their votaries always to run down those who discredit their pretensions.

From Project Gutenberg

Buonarrotti, suspicious of the whole design, did his best to discredit Mazzini among his own men.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• defame
• degrade
• destroy
• disgrace
• disparage
• disprove
• ruin
• slander
• smear
• vilify