disparage
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
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to speak contemptuously of; belittle
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to damage the reputation of
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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disparagementnoun
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disparagernoun
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disparagingadjective
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undisparagedadjective
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disparaginglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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disparagesimple
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disparagessimple
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have disparagedperfect
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has disparagedperfect
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am disparagingprogressive
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are disparagingprogressive
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is disparagingprogressive
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have been disparagingperfect progressive
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has been disparagingperfect progressive
Past
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disparagedsimple
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had disparagedperfect
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was disparagingprogressive
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were disparagingprogressive
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had been disparagingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of disparage
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French desparag(i)er “to match unequally,” from des- dis- 1 + -parag(i)er, verb derivative of parage “equal rank,” also “high birth, noble descent” ( see peerage)
Explanation
If you haven't got anything nice to say, then it's time to disparage someone. It means to belittle or degrade a person or idea. Disparage is a specific way to describe a certain kind of insult, the kind that secures the insulter's place as superior. It often refers to an opinion or criticism lobbed in print or via word of mouth, not necessarily an act done to someone's face. If someone or something is being disparaged, you will often find a competing interest in the wings.
Vocabulary lists containing disparage
The Bill of Rights
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Grade 11, List 2
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All About That Baseless: Bad-Faith Accusations
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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:
"The commission is concerned that Sanofi pursued a misleading communication campaign to disparage Fluad by portraying it as inferior to Efluelda, going against national vaccination recommendations in several member states," a commission statement said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026
He called upon people to love their enemies, not rebuke them or disparage their existence.
From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026
“At no point in time did I mean, or was it my intent, to disparage a jury,” Connolly said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
USA men's ice hockey player Brady Tkachuk has distanced himself from an AI-enhanced White House video in which he appears to disparage Canadians, saying "those words would never come out of my mouth".
From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2026
But before you disparage it, you have to taste just how hungry these kids are to escape the lower end of the middle class and move up.
From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman
Warsh regularly disparages such models and the “economics guild” that developed them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 31, 2026
I would like to point out that the 18th-century world Messinger so disparages also gave us the freedom of religion, freedom of speech and freedom of the press.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 22, 2023
After the story published, Tesfaye posted a clip on Twitter and Instagram in which the character disparages the publication.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2023
He disparages the idea that we have fundamental rights that are basic to bodily integrity, human dignity, and equal citizenship, simply because they are not mentioned in the text.
From Slate ● May 18, 2022
He feels tenderness toward her when she disparages herself this way.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
In the six weeks since the tariff decision, he has repeatedly disparaged the patriotism and loyalty of the justices who ruled against him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 29, 2026
Other research has been disparaged for not using proper quality-control measures.
From Barron's ● Jan. 27, 2026
He disparaged Denmark in particular when recalling how in 1940 it "fell to Germany after just six hours of fighting and was totally unable to defend either itself or Greenland".
From BBC ● Jan. 21, 2026
But this isn’t just a victory lap; this documentary is also for everyone who disparaged the festival or didn’t feel like it was for them.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2025
As he grew to love Maggie, Elisha disparaged her work more often.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
An arbitrator issued an interim award barring Wynn-Williams, her lawyers and others from disparaging Meta or promoting the book.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
She once received a refund after a flight attendant made a disparaging remark about how she was dressed.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 10, 2026
A "Japan glazer" is "someone who puts everything that comes from Japan on a pedestal, while disparaging things that come from their own country", Louzembi said.
From Barron's ● Mar. 24, 2026
A spokesperson for Flynn responded to detailed questions from ProPublica by disparaging experts who expressed concerns, texting, “LOL ‘EXPERTS.’”
From Salon ● Mar. 3, 2026
Nately reacted on sight with bristling enmity to this wicked, depraved and unpatriotic old man who was old enough to remind him of his father and who made disparaging jokes about America.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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.
