disparage
Americanverb (used with object)
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disparages,
present (3rd person singular)
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disparaged,
past participle, past
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disparaging
present participle
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
In the letter terminating Pelley's contract on Tuesday, Bilton accused him of hijacking the staff meeting to disparage Bilton, his qualificatons and intentions with "remarkable incivility and contempt".
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
“I took all of his commentary to be very, very careful not to disparage any person on the court or elsewhere,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026
This caused perhaps the most publicized dissent against the Lazarus woodpecker, with op-ed pieces running weekly in the paper to disparage John Barling and his mob of birdwatcher friends.
From "Where Things Come Back" by John Corey Whaley
Warsh regularly disparages such models and the “economics guild” that developed them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 31, 2026
But it also disparages those susceptible to pseudofolliculitis barbae, a medical condition primarily affecting Black men like the show’s razor-shy recruit, wherein regular shaving causes inflammation and a higher likelihood of scarring and developing keloids.
From Salon ● Oct. 10, 2025
The order also directed officials to ensure that monuments do not contain content that disparages Americans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2025
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
He feels tenderness toward her when she disparages herself this way.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
The Pentagon is beginning to shower money on high-tech defense startups—while also unloading ever-larger sums of cash on the traditional vendors that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has publicly disparaged as slow and bloated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Other research has been disparaged for not using proper quality-control measures.
From Barron's ● Jan. 27, 2026
ANL's lawyers have staunchly denied the allegations, previously calling the case "without foundation" and an "affront" to hard-working journalists whose reputations had been disparaged.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2025
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
During the “Hang Out” podcast episode, Hilton expressed regret over disparaging attacks he made on the celebrities he covered over the course of his career.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
She once received a refund after a flight attendant made a disparaging remark about how she was dressed.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 10, 2026
Several people who worked with Foa suggested she could be intimidating and sometimes disparaging to people she worked with.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 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
The disparaging reports caused some of those who had signed the Declaration of Sentiments to have second thoughts.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
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.
