as in criticism
the act of making a person or a thing seem little or unimportant
an unconscionable belittlement of his assistant in public
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Recent Examples of belittlement
Apolline may embrace the social media aspects of her career but George’s belittlement rankles her.
—
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 14 Aug. 2025
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belittlement
Noun
-
Bovino, who led much of the immigration enforcement operation in Chicago and the suburbs, as well as in Minnesota before retiring this year amid criticism, declined to appear before the commission.—
Olivia Olander,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
-
The Irish comedy writer has become better known for his assertion that trans women are men and criticism of trans activism, expressed in often vituperative social media posts.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
For me, this marks an early moment in the denigration of women.—
Eana Kim,
ARTnews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Nowhere is there the vitriol or denigration found in MAGA gatherings.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The contract contained a non-disparagement clause, and in law, the special thing about disparagement is that unlike defamation, the truth is not a defense against disparagement.—
Marlow Stern,
Variety,
28 Apr. 2026
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And the Times Magazine suggested the idea of discovering a similar past disparagement clause to the one that plagued HBO might dissuade any network from tackling a future Jackson project.—
Steve Knopper,
Rolling Stone,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
News of the troop withdrawal drew swift condemnation from Democrats in Congress and members of a hawkish Washington think tank.—
Ben Finley,
Los Angeles Times,
2 May 2026
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Kneecap’s exploits, meanwhile, have sparked condemnation from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and saw member Mo Chara hauled in front of a judge on terrorism charges (a case that has since been thrown out of court).—
Dean Van Nguyen,
Pitchfork,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Alfie now faces four defamation lawsuits filed by Milei's close allies seeking millions in damages.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Apr. 2026
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Maxwell denied the allegations and sued Giuffre for defamation.—
Julie K. Brown,
Miami Herald,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But whether a potential second film would try to acknowledge the abuse allegations against Jackson, including those at the center of a 2005 trial that ended in his acquittal on all counts, is unclear.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
26 Apr. 2026
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Anyone with information on this case or other animal abuse cases is urged to contact the PSPCA's Cruelty Hotline at (866) 601-SPCA.—
Alexandra Simon,
CBS News,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
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By then the Illinois-breds — the subject of so much ridicule and scorn when the race-a-day was introduced — had become a success story.—
Neil Milbert,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
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Former Mayor Bill de Blasio similarly drew ridicule when he was caught using a knife and fork to eat pizza instead of grabbing the slice with his hands like any real New Yorker paisano would.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Including hardware depreciation, labor, and overhead, the effective cost is about 200–250 yuan per hour in China, Gao said.—
Ni Tao,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Apr. 2026
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Leasing a new car is a great way to experience some of the best driving years of a vehicle without the depreciation and ownership issues that come with time.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Belittlement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belittlement. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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