belittle

American

[bih-lit-l] / bɪˈlɪt l /

verb (used with object)

belittled, belittling

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

Synonyms:

dismiss, scorn, deride, deprecate, decry, minimize

belittle British

/ bɪˈlɪtəl /

verb

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

"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

Other Word Forms

belittlement noun
belittler noun
belittlingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of belittle

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

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.

Another, in the UK, says she finds it "belittling" when people assume an unhappy mum must be suffering from postnatal depression.

From BBC

But Jones said she found herself apologizing to Bruccoleri for "criticising and belittling" her while in character.

From BBC

"When you're in politics... or whatever your line of work, you should not be attacked personally. And certainly not AI used to belittle you."

From BBC

Concerning headlines and poor results allow them to belittle the Welsh game, even in a playful way.

From BBC

"When I was younger I used to just keep quiet and felt patronised and belittled," she said.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023