denigrate

tr.v., -grat·ed, -grat·ing, -grates.

1. To attack the character or reputation of; speak ill of; defame.
2. To disparage; belittle: The critics have denigrated our efforts.

[Latin dēnigrāre, dēnigrāt-, to blacken, defame : dē-, de- + niger, nigr-, black.]

denigration den'i·gra'tion n.
denigrator den'i·gra'tor n.

(DEN-i-grayt)

verb tr.
To defame or belittle.

Etymology
From Latin denigratus, past participle of denigrare (to blacken), from de- (completely) + nigrare (to make black), ultimately from Indo-European root nek(w)t (night). Other words derived from the same root are night, nocturnal, and equinox

Usage
"He told them they were not expected to be Sunday-school teachers. 'But often you feel compelled to berate and denigrate people you have to apprehend, but your behaviour must not blur your image as a police officer.'" — Ucill Cambridge; Mind Your Manners, Cops Told; Trinidad and Tobago Express; Jun 14, 2004.

"It found most (films) contain characters portrayed as 'crazy,' 'nuts' and 'mad' and who were shunned and denigrated as a result." — Disney Cartoons Give Mentally Ill a Rough Ride, Canadian Study Says; Montreal Gazette (Canada); May 20, 2004.

---

verb

1. To contaminate the reputation of: befoul, besmear, besmirch, bespatter, blacken, cloud, dirty, smear, smudge, smut, soil, spatter, stain, sully, taint, tarnish. Idioms: give a black eye to, slingthrowmud on. See attack/defend, clean/dirty.
2. To think, represent, or speak of as small or unimportant: belittle, decry, deprecate, depreciate, derogate, detract, discount, disparage, downgrade, minimize, run down, slight, talk down. Idioms: makelightlittleof. See attack/defend, show/hide.

v

Definition: belittle, malign
Antonyms: boost, cherish, compliment, praise

---

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Common misspelling(s) of denigrating

• denegrating

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - rakke ned på, sværte til

Nederlands (Dutch)
denigreren (zwart maken)

Français (French)
v. tr. - dénigrer, discréditer

Deutsch (German)
v. - herabsetzen, verunglimpfen

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - κακολογώ, διαβάλλω

Italiano (Italian)
denigrare

Português (Portuguese)
v. - denegrir

Русский (Russian)
чернить, порочить

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - denigrar

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - racka ned på

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
使变黑, 诋毁, 玷污

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 使變黑, 詆毀, 玷污

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - (명예를)더럽히다, 비방하다, 검게 하다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 侮辱する, 名誉を毀損する, 黒くする

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يشوه سمعه شخص أو شئ, يقلل من شأن شئ‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮השמיץ‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.