belittle
Americanverb (used with object)
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belittles,
present (3rd person singular)
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belittled,
past participle, past
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belittling
present participle
verb
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to consider or speak of (something) as less valuable or important than it really is; disparage
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to cause to make small; dwarf
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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belittlesimple
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belittlessimple
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have belittledperfect
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has belittledperfect
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am belittlingprogressive
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are belittlingprogressive
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is belittlingprogressive
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have been belittlingperfect progressive
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has been belittlingperfect progressive
Past
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belittledsimple
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had belittledperfect
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was belittlingprogressive
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were belittlingprogressive
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had been belittlingperfect progressive
Future
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.
See Examples For:
Both were quick to belittle the promises by their rival.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
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
"That's my genuine hope and if it's not through me hopefully it can be through the next comic or someone else can make them realise that it's sad trying to belittle someone on the internet."
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2025
“No artist, producer, director, or leader—regardless of legacy or celebrity—should be allowed to weaponize their platform to belittle, threaten, or devalue others without consequence. Period,” the letter states.
From Salon ● May 31, 2025
Her sisters, older and not married, belittle her, treating the whole idea of the marriage scornfully, Vincent reports to Theo.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
Cronin belittles players for making mistakes, but lacks personal accountability.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 13, 2024
“There will be no compromise with any party that challenges, belittles or violates Malaysian laws,” he said in a statement on Facebook.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 22, 2023
Ibsen’s heroine, Nora, initially seems naïve and dependent on her husband, but she becomes disillusioned with how he controls and belittles her.
From New York Times ● Feb. 22, 2023
"We are part of it and we will not spare any effort to defend it from anyone who abuses or belittles it."
From Reuters ● Feb. 19, 2023
“Not monster movies. My sister, as usual, belittles my chosen medium. Want to know the tide?”
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
It is fascinating to me that Thomas, who genuinely feels belittled by every single thing that has ever happened to him, has somehow gotten smaller on the job.
From Slate ● Apr. 17, 2026
US President Donald Trump said Friday that Colombian President Gustavo Petro, a leftist his administration long belittled, will visit the White House next month as he voiced optimism for ties.
From Barron's ● Jan. 9, 2026
It prompts other team members to drop out of the discussion or withhold information, fearing that they will be belittled if they speak up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025
Anyone presenting information not approved by the ruler is denounced and belittled, ostracized and denied access.
From Salon ● Oct. 10, 2025
The Party shall continue unabated, in full festival Mode, for some few weeks thereafter, or until the belittled Pestilence has run its course through the Assembled.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
Playing jokes and pranks, it needs to be amusing and not belittling, obviously.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
She also accused him of "belittling" her with jibes about her weight and age, and accused her of flirting with other men.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Given that AI uses a tremendous amount of energy and water, public servants should be applying it towards solving society’s most intractable problems, not creating racist tropes or belittling people for exercising their democratic rights.
From Salon ● Nov. 29, 2025
And the teenage provocateur made no secret of that revulsion, loudly belittling his fellow students.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2025
I think it might embarrass Stuart to hear mice mentioned in such a belittling manner.”
From "Stuart Little" by E.B. White
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.
