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
“I will not belittle that one bit. But I will say, it’s the curse of a leader.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 20, 2026
Some people see it is as harmless entertainment between two high-profile players, but others believe it could belittle the women's game if Sabalenka loses.
From BBC ● Dec. 10, 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
“It brings solace. It binds us as a community. Do not belittle our traditions because one day they may be yours.”
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
Anything less belittles the very point of a university education.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2025
And that can make for a harsh internal voice that belittles and chastises us.
From New York Times ● Apr. 11, 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
"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
The person in front signals, “I’m in charge, you follow me,” while the one behind feels belittled.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 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
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
And the teenage provocateur made no secret of that revulsion, loudly belittling his fellow students.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2025
A Britain's Got Talent comic says internet trolls have not upset him, but he wants people to realise belittling someone on the internet "is sad".
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2025
Dr. Chernin acknowledged how stressful those conversations can be, sometimes deteriorating into finger-pointing, belittling or stonewalling.
From New York Times ● May 17, 2024
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.
