Meaning & use
belittled
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“belittled” is a form of “belittle”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Made someone or something seem less important, intelligent, or impressive than they really are.
Grammar: Used as the past tense or past participle of 'belittle'; often in passive voice: 'She felt belittled by his comments.'
Patterns
- belittled someone
- feel belittled
- be belittled by someone
He belittled her achievements in front of the whole team.
She felt belittled by his constant criticism.
The manager belittled the intern's ideas during the meeting.
adjectivenot comparable
Feeling or appearing as if one's importance or dignity has been reduced.
Grammar: Used as an adjective after linking verbs like 'feel' or 'seem'; it describes a state.
Patterns
- feel belittled
- look belittled
After the argument, she felt small and belittled.
He looked belittled by the unfair comparison.
Word forms
| base form | belittle |
|---|---|
| third person singular | belittles |
| present participle | belittling |
| past tense | belittled |
| past participle | belittled |
Common combinations
- feel belittled
- She felt belittled when her boss ignored her suggestions.
- be belittled by someone
- He was belittled by his classmates for asking questions.
- belittle someone's achievements
- Don't belittle your sister's achievements; she worked hard.
- constantly belittled
- He was constantly belittled by his older brother.
Synonyms and how they differ
- humiliated
- Humiliated often implies a stronger sense of public shame, while belittled focuses on being made to seem less important.
- disparaged
- Disparaged is more formal and focuses on speaking about someone in a critical, dismissive way.
- undermined
- Undermined suggests weakening someone's confidence or position gradually, often indirectly.
Opposites
Word family
- belittle verb
- To make someone or something seem less important.
- belittling adjective
- Making someone seem less important; disparaging.
- belittlement noun
- The act of making someone seem less important.
Commonly confused: belittled or belated?
belittled vs belated
Belated means late or delayed, while belittled means made to seem less important; they sound somewhat similar but have completely different meanings.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'belittled' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Belittled' means made someone or something seem less important, so 'He belittled his sister's painting, saying it was childish' is correct. Option 0 uses 'belittled' to mean criticized a thing's quality, not its importance; option 2 uses it to mean ruined an event by being late; option 3 uses it to mean spoiled by weather—none of these fit the meaning of making someone seem small.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “belittled”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.