Denigrate

C1 16+

Pronunciation: /ˈdɛn.ɪˌɡreɪt/

Definitions of denigrate

verb to criticize unfairly or belittle

Example Sentences

A1 She didn't mean to denigrate his efforts, she just didn't understand.

A2 The politician denigrated his opponent's character in order to win the election.

B1 The movie critic denigrated the film for its lack of originality.

B2 It is not right to denigrate someone's reputation without evidence.

C1 The journalist was accused of denigrating the company's image with false allegations.

C2 The author faced backlash for denigrating an entire community in his latest novel.

Examples of denigrate in a Sentence

formal It is not professional to denigrate your colleagues in the workplace.

informal Don't denigrate your friend's taste in music just because it's different from yours.

slang Stop denigrating my favorite TV show, it's actually really good.

figurative She felt like her self-esteem was denigrated after receiving harsh criticism from her boss.

Grammatical Forms of denigrate

past tense

denigrated

plural

denigrates

comparative

more denigrating

superlative

most denigrating

present tense

denigrates

future tense

will denigrate

perfect tense

has denigrated

continuous tense

is denigrating

singular

denigrates

positive degree

denigrate

infinitive

to denigrate

gerund

denigrating

participle

denigrating

Origin and Evolution of denigrate

First Known Use: 1526 year
Language of Origin: Latin
Story behind the word: The word 'denigrate' originated from the Latin word 'denigratus', which comes from 'de-' (completely) and 'nigrare' (to blacken).
Evolution of the word: Originally used to mean 'to blacken' or 'to make black', the word 'denigrate' evolved to also mean 'to belittle' or 'to defame' over time.