belittle

[ bih-lit-l ]

/ bɪˈlɪt l /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR belittle ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), be·lit·tled, be·lit·tling.

to regard or portray as less impressive or important than appearances indicate; depreciate; disparage.

Nearby words

belike, belinda, belisarius, belisha beacon, belitong, belittle, belitung, belive, belize, belize city, belizean

Origin of belittle

An Americanism dating back to 1775–85; be- + little

SYNONYMS FOR belittle

minimize, decry, deprecate, deride, scorn, dismiss.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR belittle ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

be·lit·tle·ment, nounbe·lit·tler, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for belittle

And he is probably right to belittle the current round of talks.
Partition Skepticism and the Future of the Peace Process|Avner Inbar, Assaf Sharon|September 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Hand it off to a hen-pecked husband or a put-upon assistant and it can demean or belittle.
The Language of Margaret Thatcher’s Handbags|Robin Givhan|April 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Yet, Western intelligence tends to belittle them as a bunch of bluffers.
Leslie H. Gelb on Obama’s Dangerous Nuclear Dance|Leslie H. Gelb|April 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The Fox News host seemed to belittle Laura Ingraham during an on-air clash about same-sex marriage.
Bill O’Reilly’s Macho Moment in On-Air Confrontation With Laura Ingraham|Lauren Ashburn|April 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST

This is not a time to complain about or belittle this shift, or, as with Kotkin, to pretend that it is not even taking place.
Did I Abandon My Creative Class Theory? Not So Fast, Joel Kotkin|Richard Florida|March 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
"Well, it is pretty fair," Carrots replied, with the air of one who thinks it modest to belittle his own property.
Teddy and Carrots|James Otis
Who, then, shall dare to belittle the importance of costume?
Chats on Costume|G. Woolliscroft Rhead
To discredit the new claimant, he grossly insulted her; to belittle the will, he calumniated the dead man.
John Marsh's Millions|Charles Klein
It would be a mistake to belittle or ignore this opinion, or to ascribe it to a temporary upheaval.
Freedom's Battle|Mahatma Gandhi
But she did not belittle herself in any such tendernesses of regret.
We Can't Have Everything|Rupert Hughes

British Dictionary definitions for belittle

belittle

/ (bɪˈlɪtəl) /

verb (tr)

to consider or speak of (something) as less valuable or important than it really is; disparage

to cause to make small; dwarf

Derived Forms

belittlement, nounbelittler, nounbelittlingly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012