disparagement
Americannoun
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the act of disparaging.
-
something that derogates or casts in a bad light, as a remark or censorious essay.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of disparagement
1480–90; < Anglo-French, Middle French desparagement, equivalent to desparag ( ier ) to disparage + -ment -ment
Explanation
Disparagement is belittlement. When Prince William married Catherine Middleton, there was some disparagement by the public of her non-royal background. Snobs. Disparagement comes from the Old French desparagier, meaning "marry someone of unequal rank." Disparagement is the act of speaking about someone in a negative or belittling way, and doesn't have to be related to weddings. If someone wins an election because of sneaky, dishonest ads, you can be sure that there will be plenty of disparagement of that candidate in the back rooms of the defeated politician.
Vocabulary lists containing disparagement
Romeo and Juliet
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The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 4
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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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.
The color is murky, the composition undeveloped, the foreground possibilities unutilized; often some element in the middle or remote distance is rendered in devoted detail to the disparagement of everything else.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
The U.S. president himself has lauded Sheinbaum as a “marvelous woman,” a stark contrast to his habitual disparagement of other world leaders, notably former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2025
In his statement, released on Tuesday, Ikwechegh extended his “heartfelt apologies” to the police chief “ recognising the unintended disparagement my remarks may have caused to his person, his office, and the entire institution”.
From BBC • Oct. 29, 2024
Similarly, Clark said, an attorney could try to nullify an old agreement using a 2023 decision from the National Labor Relations Board that related to disparagement clauses in severance agreements.
From Slate • Oct. 23, 2024
Ffer description was accurate, so far as my knowledge extends, but the emphasis was one of disparagement.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
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.
