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
-
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:
That means that you can set the narrative, you can set the agenda, you can disparage your opponent.
From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026
He called upon people to love their enemies, not rebuke them or disparage their existence.
From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026
Newly appointed "60 Minutes" executive producer Nick Bilton said Pelley "hijacked my first meeting with staff to disparage me, my qualifications, and my intentions with remarkable incivility and contempt."
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 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
And there is always the non-productive brotherhood of critics to disparage and to satirize, to view with horror and contempt.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
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
First, I would never put my name on a bill that targets, disparages, harms the trans or LGBTQ+ community.
From Slate ● Sep. 18, 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 feels tenderness toward her when she disparages herself this way.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Other research has been disparaged for not using proper quality-control measures.
From Barron's ● Jan. 27, 2026
Many in older generations disparaged them as vanities, rather than embracing them as medicine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2025
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
“I know you don’t like seeing your girlfriend or whatever disparaged like that, but these guys have been doing this for years. That graffiti was probably from last year or before.”
From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely
This week, reports surfaced that Bastian had made disparaging remarks at company events about Musk’s reputation and suggested Delta wouldn’t want to work with him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
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
And with technology growing as rapidly as it is, it behooves the company’s bottom line to avoid damning and disparaging devices outright.
From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2026
She once received a refund after a flight attendant made a disparaging remark about how she was dressed.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 10, 2026
The names of places carry a charge of the people who named them, reverent or irreverent, descriptive, either poetic or disparaging.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
