DENIGRATION Synonyms: 42 Similar and Opposite Words

denigration

noun

Definition of denigration

as in defamation

the act of making a person or a thing seem little or unimportant the unfair denigration of the social sciences by some people in the natural sciences

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of denigration 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, 1 Apr. 2026 From the start, the denigration of the Iranian monarchy was at the center of the Islamic Republic’s official ideology. — Azadeh Moaveni, New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2026 Trump is, of course, a man whose rise to power has been fueled by his denigration of people for being animal-like. — Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 22 Feb. 2026 The human costs of this are the increasing rates of illnesses and the financial costs of health care, lost productivity, and the compounding problems of further environmental denigration. — Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for denigration

Noun

Exasperated, the Justice Department filed a formal discrimination suit, whereupon Cohn countersued the government for defamation, seeking a hundred million dollars in damages.

— Kai Bird, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
Miller, who is running for reelection, has denied the allegations and has sued his ex-wife for defamation.

— Diana Paulsen, ABC News, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of defamation

Noun

The company has continued to push back on criticism by offering law enforcement advice on how to counter public pressure at city council meetings, noted Torin Monahan, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

— N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2026
The European Court of Human Rights ruled in 2014 that Hungary had sacked Baka for criticism of the ⁠government and that his removal did damage to democratic freedoms in Hungary.

— Reuters, NBC news, 8 Aug. 2026

Definition of criticism

Noun

That same day, the Houthis launched a flurry of attacks that reportedly killed and wounded dozens near the Yemen-Saudi border – sparking condemnation from Jordanian, Bahraini and Kuwaiti authorities.

— Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
What comes next ultimately vindicates Circe’s condemnation of the sailors.

— Bailey Sincox, The Conversation, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of condemnation

Noun

Asserting claims for tortious interference, civil conspiracy, commercial disparagement and violations of Illinois consumer fraud laws, the Butlers sought more than $50 million in compensatory damages and over $200 million in punitive damages.

— Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 22 June 2026
These disparagements cut to the core of southern manhood.

— Rob Wolfe, The Atlantic, 5 June 2026

Definition of disparagement

Noun

The Indian government last month issued a stern warning to Instagram to remove child abuse ads on its platform that followed a warning to WhatsApp over the rollout of a username feature.

— Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 7 Aug. 2026
In recent years, Orbit spoke candidly about overcoming substance abuse and a psychotic episode that interrupted his career before returning to music.

— SPIN Staff, SPIN, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of abuse

Noun

During Season 10, a newly confident Batula — who seemed to despise Cooke from the first minute of the premiere episode — appeared to be poised to launch a triumphant post-divorce arc, free at last from Cooke’s belittlement and verbal abuse.

— Kate Aurthur, Variety, 29 June 2026
Apolline may embrace the social media aspects of her career but George’s belittlement rankles her.

— Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 14 Aug. 2025

Definition of belittlement

Noun

First, the iSeeCars study measures changes in average listing prices, not depreciation from original MSRP or completed transaction prices.

— Michael Harley, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Sweetgreen is also expecting to report an adjusted loss before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of $27 million to $23 million.

— Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of depreciation

Browse Nearby Words

denigrating

denigration

denigrations

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Denigration.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/denigration. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of denigration

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

baptism of fire

Popular in Grammar & Usage

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes