trivialize

American  

[triv-ee-uh-lahyz] / ˈtrɪv i əˌlaɪz /

especially British, trivialise

verb (used with object)

trivialized, trivializing

1. to make trivial; cause to appear unimportant, trifling, etc.

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trivialize British  

/ ˈtrɪvɪəˌlaɪz /

verb

1. (tr) to cause to seem trivial or more trivial; minimize

   he trivialized his injuries

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Usage

What does trivialize mean? Trivialize means to cause something to appear unimportant or insignificant, as in Gabe tried to trivialize the D he got in math, but his parents still grounded him. Trivialize is a verb form of the adjective trivial. It’s often used by the person being trivialized, rather than by the person doing the trivializing. Example: Do not trivialize the effort that was put into my project.

Other Word Forms

• trivialization noun

Etymology

Origin of trivialize

First recorded in 1840–50; trivial + -ize

Explanation

When you trivialize something, you make it seem less important than it really is. Some people complain that TV news tends to trivialize complicated political stories. If your friend tends to trivialize your problems and worries, he dismisses them as being too small to fret about, which might make you feel like he's not taking you seriously. If you trivialize your own health concerns, other people might not realize how sick you're feeling. When you trivialize an issue, you make it look more trivial than it is, or less significant. The Latin root of both trivialize and trivial is trivialis, "common, commonplace, or vulgar."

Example Sentences

DR: We certainly do not want to give off the impression that we tolerate any bit of misinformation or harmful content or trivialize the impact it has, especially to those people that it does affect.

From Salon • Oct. 25, 2024

She’s worried that these trending videos may trivialize the profession and those searching for pain relief.

From New York Times • Jun. 19, 2024

“The clarity of Assemblyman Gabriel’s legislation is necessary to change the current dynamic in which governments, museums, and collectors are incentivized to resist restitution and employ tactics and arguments that trivialize the Holocaust,” Dubbin said.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 28, 2024

"It saddens us that someone with his reach and status would seem to trivialize the incident that led to such an outcome and heap further pain and suffering upon the family and friends of Anthony."

From BBC • Nov. 30, 2023

Not to understand this is to misunderstand the public uses of schooling and to trivialize the nature of intimate life—a family’s ‘language.’

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez

Related Words

• depreciate
• dismiss
• laugh off
• make light of
• minimize
• misprize
• play down
• pooh-pooh
• underestimate
• underplay
• underrate
• undervalue