disparagingly

[dih-spar-i-jing-lee]

adverb

1. in a way that belittles or insults someone or something; disdainfully.

   Neither parent should speak disparagingly of the other parent to the children or in their hearing.

Word History and Origins

Origin of disparagingly¹

First recorded in 1700–10; disparaging ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )

Example Sentences

Colored people had to sit in the balcony of the movie theater, often disparagingly called the “peanut gallery.”

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One record exec at the time disparagingly called it a “rock version of a corporate merger.”

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South Africans disparagingly call them tenderpreneurs—people who use political connections to secure government procurement contracts.

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We see Isaac scowl at another cop who is gleefully telling a story about knocking out the teeth of an unarmed protester he disparagingly refers to as a Voter.

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At hundreds of pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses in recent weeks, the terms “Zionism” or “Zionist” have been hurled disparagingly against Jewish students and pro-Israel demonstrators.

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Related Words

• adversely 
• critically