disparagement

American  

[dih-spar-ij-muhnt] / dɪˈspær ɪdʒ mənt /

noun

1. the act of disparaging.

2. something that derogates or casts in a bad light, as a remark or censorious essay.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• self-disparagement
  noun

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.

Example Sentences

Disparagement for what Switzerland achieved was not my intention; far from it.

From New York Times • Jul. 9, 2021

Disparagement is the default position of all levelers.

From Washington Post • Oct. 10, 2018

Disparagement, it turns out, is in the eye of the beholder.

From The Verge • Jul. 25, 2017

Disparagement claims are extraordinarily hard to prove because they require a showing of malice, meaning either intentional falsehood or reckless disregard for the truth.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 9, 2016

The Actors in the Opera, who, as well as they, divert the Public for Lucre, have, indeed, the Privilege, that a Gentleman may be admitted among them without Disparagement to his Title.

From The Memoirs of Charles-Lewis, Baron de Pollnitz, Volume II Being the Observations He Made in His Late Travels From Prussia thro' Germany, Italy, France, Flanders, Holland, England, &C. in Letters to His Friend. Discovering Not Only the Present State of the Chief Cities and Towns; but the Characters of the Principal Persons at the Several Courts. by P?llnitz, Karl Ludwig von