belittle

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /bɪˈlɪtəl/ UK /bɪˈlɪtəl/ See IPA manual

verb

Meanings

1

verb
to dismiss as unimportant or make seem small

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

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 ->

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Actions & Processes

# 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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belittle

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