discrediting

verb

present participle of discredit
1
as in humiliating
to reduce to a lower standing in one's own eyes or in others' eyes attempted to discredit her political opponents by deliberately spreading false rumors

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in denying
to think not to be true or real I discredit the story that the old inn is haunted

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in refuting
to prove to be false the pseudoscience of phrenology has been thoroughly discredited

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 discrediting The release of his diaries though, revealed some thoroughly discrediting and upsetting details about Fauci's private beliefs. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 Aug. 2026 Kiryl Pazniak, 49, who hosted a popular political show on YouTube, has been convicted on the charges of discrediting Belarus and forming an extremist organization, the group said — accusations widely used by authorities to stifle critical voices. — ABC News, 2 July 2026 Defense attorney Tom Mesereau was an expert at discrediting witnesses, subjects told the filmmakers, but certain key witnesses, like Janet Arvizo, struggled to connect with the jury on their own. — Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2026 My fear is that poor implementation and, above all, a failure to take accountability seriously will end up discrediting good ideas. — Rachel Canter, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026 In April 2024, Hayden agreed to pay a $5,000 civil penalty for violating conflict of interest law by allowing his office to issue an official press statement aimed at discrediting his primary opponent, Arroyo, days before the election. — Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 8 Apr. 2026 Henry’s wife Yasmin (Marisa Abela) ultimately convinces Hayley to accuse Dycker of assault, discrediting his story about Tender, and weaponizing #MeToo-era politics. — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2026 Elordi and Giannulli appeared to be going strong over the next two years, with sources discrediting breakup speculation to PEOPLE in January 2024 and as the two vacationed together in Italy the following September. — Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 15 Jan. 2026 Politically, the regime has rotted from within, discarding, discrediting, or detaining its own kind. — Robin Wright, New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discrediting
  1. humiliating
  2. denying
  3. refuting
  4. embarrassing
  5. disbelieving
  6. disgracing
  7. negating
  8. shaming
Verb
  • The Iranians are now setting the terms of this conflict and are routinely humiliating the American president.
    — Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026
  • Instead of demanding personal fealty or humiliating them to assert personal dominance, Lincoln absorbed their egos and occasional slights, elevating their talents and turning his fiercest political adversaries into his most devoted champions.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 24 June 2026
Definition of humiliating
Verb
  • The former general counsel settled for a $37,500 civil penalty without admitting or denying the allegations.
    — Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026
  • His family publicly accused the workers' compensation system of delaying and denying needed care.
    — Ginger Allen, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of denying
Verb
  • Many d This week, the department issued a follow-up statement refuting both of those claims.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026
  • The distant thud of shelling punctuates the evening, refuting one guest’s optimism that the latest ceasefire agreement will endure.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 July 2026
Definition of refuting
Verb
  • Many of the voters of the other political parties have been lending him their support, partly in the hope of embarrassing Farage.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Anthrax, Sublime, and Red Hot Chili Peppers were easy and often embarrassing examples, but the funky waka-waka guitar sound extended to Rage Against the Machine, Green Jellÿ, and Suicidal Tendencies (and their side project, Infectious Grooves).
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of embarrassing
Verb
  • There are shirts being whirled all around me as disbelieving fans soak in the celebrations with their squad.
    — Aleks Klosok, CNN Money, 15 July 2026
  • That same disbelieving fullness.
    — Vin Diesel, Variety, 16 May 2026
Definition of disbelieving
Verb
  • Social media users have critiqued her body both when with and without child and have accused her of disgracing the image of Black women.
    — Meagan Jordan, VIBE.com, 10 July 2026
  • Why are adults so comfortable publicly disgracing Black teenage girls going to their prom and being cruel toward strangers who are sometimes half their age?
    — Essence, Essence, 11 May 2026
Definition of disgracing
Verb
  • An early withdrawal fee will be issued on any account in which the funds are withdrawn prematurely, negating most, if not all, of the interest earned to that point.
    — Matt Richardson, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026
  • This brought the center of gravity downward, negating the effects of wind shear, as did the round cross-section of the tower.
    — David Szondy August 01, New Atlas, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of negating
Verb
  • In 2019, Moore’s eldest daughter opened up about her struggles with body shaming and low self-esteem as a teen.
    — Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Her suggestion is to ask teens how their online experiences feel rather than shaming the scrolling.
    — Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of shaming

Browse Nearby Words

discredited
discrediting
discredits
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Discrediting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discrediting. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on discrediting

Nglish: Translation of discrediting for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of rigmarole

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

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

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All