Denigrate    (pronounced den-ih-grayt) verb


Definition

1. to injure somebody's reputation by speaking ill of that person; defame.   2. to depreciate or minimize; belittle; disparage.

Other Examples

Denigrating   (pronounced den-ih-gray-ting) adjective

Denigration   (pronounced den-ih-gray-shun) noun

Main Example

  • Two months ago, and based on research described by pediatricians as "solid," the U.S. government was prepared to launch an ad campaign encouraging mothers to breast-feed their babies and thus lower their infants' risks of contracting juvenile diabetes and other illnesses. However, it ran into fierce opposition by some infant formula makers which denigrated the research, calling it "sketchy" and "questionable." So the ads are currently on hold as the government scratches its head on how to inform would-be mothers about the benefits of breast-feeding without angering private industry.

    Workplace Examples

  • Before I begin my presentation on why we lost the GSA contract, just remember: my objective is for us all to learn from this experience. It is not my intention to diminish or denigrate any particular employee or department because I know that everyone put forth a lot of effort.

  • After all that work I did on her project, I resent my name being left off the "Special Mention" list. Her omission is tantamount to a complete denigration of my contributions.

    Other Examples

  • an envious worker denigrating a fellow employee's ideas, proposals, and accomplishments

  • in 2002, a Congressman from Louisiana receiving criticism after he used denigrating words for Middle Easterners by saying: "The police should target any airline passenger with a diaper on his head and a fan belt around that diaper."

  • a company sometimes regarding a competitor's ads as denigrating, such as when Colgate-Palmolive filed a lawsuit against Proctor & Gamble, alleging that some P&G ads amounted to a denigration of Colgate's Simply White teeth-whitening products

  • at an NAACP gathering in the early '90s, the largely black audience feeling denigrated when Ross Perot repeatedly referred to them as "you people" and "your people"

    © 2004 V.J. Singal

    This Month's Other Words

    Funereal
    Voluble
    Perfidious
    Disquiet
    Incurious
    Seminal
    Prognosticate
    Denigrate

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