Dictionary Definition
belittle
Verb
2 express a negative opinion of; "She disparaged
her student's efforts" [syn: disparage, pick at] [ant:
flatter]
3 lessen the authority, dignity, or reputation
of; "don't belittle your colleagues" [syn: diminish]
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Etymology
Coined by Thomas
Jefferson in 1782 in "Notes on the
State of Virginia": "So far the Count de
Buffon has carried this new theory of the tendency of nature to
belittle her productions on this side the Atlantic."
Pronunciation
-
- Rhymes: -ɪtəl
Verb
- to knowingly say that something is smaller or less important
than it actually is
- My older brother used to belittle anything I did.
Translations
to knowingly say that something is smaller or
less important than it actually is
- Chinese: 輕視, 轻视
- Dutch: afkraken (more destructive)
- Finnish: vähätellä
- French: déprécier
- German: schmälern, herunterspielen, herabsetzen
- Italian: sminuire
- Japanese: 軽視する
- Russian: умалять, преуменьшать
- Swedish: förringar
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
bedwarf, bring down, bring into
discredit, bring low, criticize, cry down,
de-emphasize, debase,
decry, degrade, denigrate, deprecate, depreciate, derogate, derogate from,
detract from, diminish,
disapprove of, discount, discredit, disgrace, disparage, dispraise, downgrade, downplay, dwarf, hold in contempt, knock, lessen, make light of, make
little of, make nothing of, minify, minimize, misestimate, misprize, mitigate, play down, pooh-pooh,
put down, reduce, reflect
discredit upon, run down, sell short, set at naught, set little by,
shrug off, slight, speak
ill of, submit to indignity, think little of, think nothing of,
trivialize, underestimate, underplay, underprize, underrate, underreckon, undervalue, write
off