as in slighting
intended to make a person or thing seem of little importance or value
disparaging comments about the lack of talent among the musical performers
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in dismissing
to express scornfully one's low opinion of
disparaged polo as a sport for the idle rich
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of disparaging
Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026
The irony is that Trump has been more disparaging and dismissive of the military than any other president.
—Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Mar. 2026
Conservative pundit Meghan McCain blasted commentator Tucker Carlson after a guest on his podcast and online show this week made a disparaging remark about her weight.
—Dominick Mastrangelo, The Hill, 5 Dec. 2025
Emily’s father didn’t say it in a disparaging way—more like That was just Ryan.
—Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Nov. 2025
And there would be lots of soldiers around, either Army or National Guard, and the people who were civilians would be young people, very disparaging about the military.
—Steve Baltin, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
The 2023 Economic Report Of The President published in March of 2023 was relatively disparaging of cryptoassets and DLTs.
—Lawrence Wintermeyer, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
Prior to appearing on Cunningham's show on Monday, Huggins made more disparaging remarks about Xavier.
—Emily Deletter, The Enquirer, 10 May 2023
As a former prosecutor in New York City and a professor of law at West Point, Tim Bakken believes that most people find solace in casting the most disparaging label possible upon an adversary.
—Howard Manly, The Conversation, 20 Dec. 2022
Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2026
Things got just a bit chippy in the top of the sixth when Webb fired a four-seam fastball into the ribs of Dalton Rushing, who many speculated had made a disparaging comment at Jung Hoo Lee during Tuesday’s game when the Giants outfielder was hurt sliding home.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2026
In emails shared with the Tribune, Clint Litle also complained to Tower management about disparaging comments allegedly made about his wife’s appearance, including about her makeup and hair extensions.
—Rebecca Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
Librarians are subject to disparaging comments and threats of violence at meetings and in public.
—Diane Gensler, Baltimore Sun, 8 Apr. 2026
The sewer label was initially a disparaging remark from a Socialist leader, who thought figures like Hoan were overly practical, boasting about their sanitation systems instead of political theory.
—Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 1 Apr. 2026
The Vallejo City Unified School District has severed ties with a third-party contractor after its president made disparaging remarks about the city and engaged in conduct inconsistent with district policies, the school district said in a statement.
—Aldo Toledo, San Francisco Chronicle, 31 Mar. 2026
The 53-year-old sci-fi novelist came under fire this week for making several disparaging remarks about the shows on the Critical Drinker podcast.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Mar. 2026
Trump administration officials were quick to side with the officers who killed Good and Pretti, also making disparaging remarks about the two Minnesotans and accusing them of attempting to carry out domestic terrorism in their interactions with immigration authorities.
—Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill, 24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
While Trump’s talk of a possible NATO pullout dates back years, the comments to The Telegraph newspaper in the U.K., published Wednesday, were among the clearest and most disparaging yet — suggesting that the fracture has deepened perhaps to a point of no return.
—Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026
The irony is that Trump has been more disparaging and dismissive of the military than any other president.
—Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Mar. 2026
Conservative pundit Meghan McCain blasted commentator Tucker Carlson after a guest on his podcast and online show this week made a disparaging remark about her weight.
—Dominick Mastrangelo, The Hill, 5 Dec. 2025
Emily’s father didn’t say it in a disparaging way—more like That was just Ryan.
—Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Nov. 2025
And there would be lots of soldiers around, either Army or National Guard, and the people who were civilians would be young people, very disparaging about the military.
—Steve Baltin, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
The 2023 Economic Report Of The President published in March of 2023 was relatively disparaging of cryptoassets and DLTs.
—Lawrence Wintermeyer, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
Prior to appearing on Cunningham's show on Monday, Huggins made more disparaging remarks about Xavier.
—Emily Deletter, The Enquirer, 10 May 2023
As a former prosecutor in New York City and a professor of law at West Point, Tim Bakken believes that most people find solace in casting the most disparaging label possible upon an adversary.
—Howard Manly, The Conversation, 20 Dec. 2022
Verb
Educators were fired for making insensitive comments about him on their personal social-media accounts; a firefighter in Toledo lost his job for posting a derisive eulogy on Facebook; various airline employees were suspended for disparaging Kirk online.
—Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2026
Things got just a bit chippy in the top of the sixth when Webb fired a four-seam fastball into the ribs of Dalton Rushing, who many speculated had made a disparaging comment at Jung Hoo Lee during Tuesday’s game when the Giants outfielder was hurt sliding home.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2026
In emails shared with the Tribune, Clint Litle also complained to Tower management about disparaging comments allegedly made about his wife’s appearance, including about her makeup and hair extensions.
—Rebecca Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
Librarians are subject to disparaging comments and threats of violence at meetings and in public.
—Diane Gensler, Baltimore Sun, 8 Apr. 2026
The sewer label was initially a disparaging remark from a Socialist leader, who thought figures like Hoan were overly practical, boasting about their sanitation systems instead of political theory.
—Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 1 Apr. 2026
The Vallejo City Unified School District has severed ties with a third-party contractor after its president made disparaging remarks about the city and engaged in conduct inconsistent with district policies, the school district said in a statement.
—Aldo Toledo, San Francisco Chronicle, 31 Mar. 2026
The 53-year-old sci-fi novelist came under fire this week for making several disparaging remarks about the shows on the Critical Drinker podcast.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Mar. 2026
Trump administration officials were quick to side with the officers who killed Good and Pretti, also making disparaging remarks about the two Minnesotans and accusing them of attempting to carry out domestic terrorism in their interactions with immigration authorities.
—Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill, 24 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disparaging
Verb
-
Federal lawyers said judges made mistakes in dismissing the cases by arguing the Civil Rights Act granted the attorney general access to local voting records.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Quit dismissing them as uneducated.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
For filmmakers who view their individual work as the center of gravity, this can sit somewhere between confusing and insulting.—
Dana Harris-Bridson,
IndieWire,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Survivors rejected the offer, calling it insulting.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Together, LaSota and Danielson hatched a plan to convince other Rationalists to live together on boats too, with the idea of minimizing their collective living expenses in order to make more room in their lives for intellectual work — work on AI safety in particular.—
Tessa Stuart,
Rolling Stone,
23 Apr. 2026
-
The concept de la maison is a commitment to sustainability and minimizing waste.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Over the offseason, the Chicago Cubs outfielder inexplicably made some derogatory comments about fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Thom Brennaman lost his job because of it (for using a derogatory term toward homosexuals in a hot-mic moment).—
Annie Heilbrunn,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Fans’ attachment is largely to the kids, who aren’t kids anymore, and ’80s nostalgia, which is a diminishing resource.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
23 Apr. 2026
-
The densest areas fragment first, diminishing further in size.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Her pictures, which start innocently enough from the puppy-dog idea, get increasingly demeaning.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Leadership was abusive, inappropriate and demeaning, employees told The Denver Post.—
Sam Tabachnik,
Denver Post,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The changing telework fight Last year, unions regularly held large rallies opposing the return-to-office order; an anonymous group of state workers erected billboards along Interstate 80 criticizing the governor.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
23 Apr. 2026
-
While the organization hasn’t publicly said so, some have questioned whether the support is partly in retaliation against Cassidy for criticizing Kennedy’s vaccine policy agenda.—
Ali Swenson,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
There’s an adjustment period — percale can feel crisp at first — but most people acclimate within a week or two and find cotton softens further with every wash, rather than pilling or degrading like synthetics.—
Allison Palmer,
Charlotte Observer,
21 Apr. 2026
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Most people acclimate within a week or two, and cotton gets softer with every wash rather than pilling or degrading.—
Allison Palmer,
Miami Herald,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disparaging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disparaging. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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