belittle

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /bɪˈlɪtəl/ UK /bɪˈlɪtəl/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to dismiss as unimportant or make seem small

Don't belittle her achievements just because they differ from yours.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to dismiss as unimportant... disparage denigrate minimize deprecate diminishdownplaydemean

Opposites

praise exalt magnify extol

Word family

Derived forms belittlementbelittlerbelittlingbelittlingly

Related forms little

Etymology

Coined in American English from be- ('to make') + little, attributed to Thomas Jefferson in the 1780s.

be- Old English lȳtel Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# belittle

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /bɪˈlɪtəl/
**IPA (UK):** /bɪˈlɪtəl/

## Meanings
1. to dismiss as unimportant or make seem small

## Examples
- Don't belittle her achievements just because they differ from yours.

## Synonyms
- disparage
- denigrate
- minimize
- deprecate
- diminish
- downplay
- demean

## Antonyms
- praise
- exalt
- magnify
- extol

## Derived Forms
- belittlement
- belittler
- belittling
- belittlingly

## Related Forms
- little

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: be-
- Root: lȳtel

## Etymology
Coined in American English from be- ('to make') + little, attributed to Thomas Jefferson in the 1780s.

## AI Etymology
Belittle is coined in American English from be- ('to make') + little, attributed to Thomas Jefferson in the 1780s. In present-day use, it means to dismiss as unimportant or make seem small. Derived formations include belittlement, belittler, belittling, and belittlingly. Related vocabulary includes little.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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