Meaning & use
denigrating
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“denigrating” is a form of “denigrate”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitiveformaldisapproving
Criticizing someone or something unfairly, in order to make them seem less worthy or valuable.
Grammar: Takes an object: denigrating his colleagues.
Patterns
- denigrating someone
- denigrating someone's achievements
He kept denigrating his coworkers' ideas in meetings, which made the team angry.
She accused the newspaper of denigrating the town's volunteers.
Stop denigrating yourself; your work is good.
adjectivebefore a nounformaldisapproving
Expressing contempt or showing that someone or something is worth little.
Grammar: Appears before a noun: denigrating remarks.
Patterns
- a denigrating remark
The manager was warned about his denigrating comments toward junior staff.
Denigrating remarks about people's accents are not acceptable.
She ignored the denigrating tone of his email.
Word forms
| base form | denigrate |
|---|---|
| third person singular | denigrates |
| past tense | denigrated |
| past participle | denigrated |
Common combinations
- denigrating remarks
- The film was criticized for its denigrating remarks about farmers.
- denigrating comments
- He apologized for his denigrating comments.
- constantly denigrating
- She was constantly denigrating her own talent.
- denigrating others
- Denigrating others rarely makes you look better.
- denigrating the achievements of
- He was accused of denigrating the achievements of his rivals.
- publicly denigrating
- The coach was fined for publicly denigrating the referee.
Synonyms and how they differ
- belittling
- Belittling stresses making someone feel small or unimportant, and is common in personal situations, while denigrating suggests damaging reputation.
- disparaging
- Disparaging is nearly the same but often suggests a scornful tone, and it works as an adjective in a similar way.
- slandering
- Slandering means spreading false statements that harm someone's reputation, and has a legal sense that denigrating lacks.
- running down
- Running down is an informal phrasal verb for criticizing someone behind their back.
Opposites
Word family
- denigrate verb
- to criticize unfairly
- denigration noun
- unfair criticism that damages reputation
- denigrator noun
- a person who denigrates
- denigrated adjective
- unfairly criticized or made to seem unimportant
Commonly confused: denigrating or degrading?
denigrating vs degrading
Degrading describes treatment that takes away dignity, while denigrating is about unfairly criticizing someone's worth or work.
Practice
He kept ___ his coworkers' ideas in meetings, which made the team angry.
Choose one answer.
Denigrating means unfairly criticizing, which would anger the team. Promoting, embracing and crediting are positive actions.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “denigrating”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.