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:
That point is proved time and again, as editors scheme against each other, belittle each other’s literary taste and throw Batter under the bus whenever an opportunity arises.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
Pugh told investigators hired by the national union that Regan continued to belittle her in meetings until she eventually resigned from the state council.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Chinese diplomats told me the staging wasn’t meant to belittle Putin; viewed from the front, they said, the two figures take roughly equal share of the picture’s frame.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
"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 ● Mar. 9, 2026
“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
“I think it belittles memory,” she says, wrinkling her nose in distaste at the still-standing house.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
Tanya Reynolds offers a broader glimpse of Caroline Bingley, a character who often belittles Mary.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026
“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
“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
McCurry never belittled anyone, though occasionally the Bigfoot questions would cause other reporters to snicker.
From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2025
My brain remembered just how long I’d been ignored and belittled.
From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon
Playing jokes and pranks, it needs to be amusing and not belittling, obviously.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
But Jones said she found herself apologizing to Bruccoleri for "criticising and belittling" her while in character.
From BBC ● Mar. 12, 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
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
