All words

denigrate

Meaning

To express low opinion of; to belittle or degrade, often unfairly.

Examples by difficulty

Basic: Simple, everyday vocabulary — the easiest to read.

Maria felt hurt when her coworker started to denigrate her in front of the team. He said she did not finish her work on time even though she always did. She worried that people would believe his words and think badly of her because of what he said.

She couldn't stand how they would denigrate her good work, always finding fault and trying to make her seem bad. It felt so unfair to have her reputation attacked like that when she was trying her best.

Jake knew Sarah was trying to denigrate him in front of their coworkers, spreading rumors and making snide comments that would make him look bad. Her constant attempts to undermine his reputation were becoming increasingly obvious to everyone in the office.

Last week, Tim tried to denigrate Jerry by telling everyone at school that Jerry’s breath could melt lockers. Unfortunately for Tim, everyone already knew about Jerry’s superpower breath, and now they all want him on their dodgeball team for “defense.”

My neighbor insists his prize-winning pet rock is a genius, but secretly I think it’s just a lumpy stone. I’d never *denigrate* his feelings, of course, but I did accidentally put googly eyes on it while he wasn't looking. Oops!

Normal: Standard, everyday language.

The politician's opponent resorted to denigrate his character in order to gain an advantage in the upcoming election. Despite the smear campaign, the public saw through the attempts to tarnish his reputation and continued to support him.

The townspeople whispered in hushed tones, their eyes filled with malice as they denigrated the newcomer's character. Rumors spread like wildfire, painting him as a thief and a liar, tarnishing his reputation before he even had a chance to prove himself. The once welcoming community turned cold, casting him out like a pariah. He felt the weight of their words like a heavy chain around his neck, suffocating him with their cruelty. No one dared to stand up for him, for fear of being denigrated themselves. And so, he was left alone, abandoned to the mercy of their vicious tongues.

The walls closed in, whispering vile accusations. The once-bright light of her reputation flickered and died, snuffed out by the relentless tide of slander that denigrated her every virtue. The poison spread like a venomous serpent, seeping into the minds of those who once held her dear. Each word whispered, each whisper amplified, tearing away at the fabric of her being until only a tattered husk remained.

In the mystical land of Elondria, rumors spread like wildfire through the enchanted forests. The mischievous goblins would often denigrate the noble knights, spreading lies and tarnishing their honorable names. Despite their best efforts to defend their reputations, the whispers of the goblins seemed to linger in the air like a foul stench. But the wise old wizard knew the true hearts of the knights and cast a spell of protection over them, shielding them from the cruel words of those who sought to bring them down. And so, the knights continued to uphold their honor, undeterred by the denigrating words of their enemies.

The old knight's reputation had been unjustly denigrated by the slanderous words of his rival. His once-proud name was now tarnished, and his honor seemed lost. But the knight remained steadfast, determined to restore his legacy and prove the truth of his character.

Advanced: Richer vocabulary that stretches an upper-level reader.

During the meeting, Mia felt hurt when her coworker tried to denigrate her by questioning her abilities in front of everyone. She had worked hard on the project, so having someone attack her reputation so openly made the experience even more painful.

He tried to denigrate her character, spreading malicious rumors to damage her standing in the community. His constant attempts to belittle her achievements were clearly meant to make others doubt her worth and diminish her reputation.

During the heated campaign, his opponents sought to denigrate his character by spreading rumors about past personal failures. The whispers grew louder, casting shadows on his reputation and eroding the public's trust in his ability to lead.

When Gerald’s dog won the local talent show for playing the piano, his neighbor tried to denigrate the victory by suggesting the judges were bribed with squeaky toys and bacon bits. Gerald, meanwhile, simply trained his cat as a backup pianist, just in case.

Bartholomew the badger, notoriously prone to exaggeration, would often denigrate his neighbor's prize-winning petunias, claiming they were merely painted weeds. His accusations, as outlandish as his toupee's precarious perch, were met with polite eye-rolls from the discerning garden club members.

Challenging: Rare, high-register vocabulary for serious word lovers.

Despite her numerous accomplishments, Nora's detractors constantly sought to denigrate her, questioning her integrity in public forums. Their repeated attempts to attack her reputation left her colleagues dismayed and discouraged some from openly supporting her initiatives within the organization.

He tried to denigrate my character to the committee, his envious words dripping with malice. His attempts to besmirch my good name were a transparent effort to diminish my standing.

After the scandal, his colleagues began to denigrate his reputation, whispering about his alleged misconduct during every departmental meeting. Their hushed conversations carried a toxic undercurrent of malice, slowly eroding his professional standing with each calculated rumor.

Gertrude attempted to denigrate Harold’s reputation at the quilting club by recounting his infamous yarn debacle, describing it as a calamitous catastrophe akin to the sinking of the Titanic, though all he’d done was misplace her favorite thimble inside an especially lumpy patchwork penguin.

The village elder, notorious for his vitriolic pronouncements, would consistently denigrate anyone who dared suggest an alternative to his petrified, anachronistic dogma. His pronouncements were so venomous, they'd curdle milk from fifty paces, leaving hapless villagers quaking in their wellington boots.

Difficulty

Advanced — Less frequent words that stretch an upper-level vocabulary.

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