English verb: belittle | |||
1. | belittle (communication) cause to seem less serious; play down | ||
Samples | Don't belittle his influence. | ||
Synonyms | denigrate, derogate, minimize | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s something. Something ----s something | ||
Broader (hypernym) | belittle, disparage, pick at | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | talk down | ||
2. | belittle (communication) express a negative opinion of | ||
Samples | She disparaged her student's efforts. | ||
Synonyms | disparage, pick at | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s something. Somebody ----s somebody | ||
Broader (hypernym) | criticise, criticize, knock, pick apart | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | belittle, denigrate, deprecate, depreciate, derogate, discredit, disgrace, minimize, pan, tear apart, trash, vilipend | ||
Antonyms | blandish, flatter | ||
3. | belittle (change) lessen the authority, dignity, or reputation of | ||
Samples | Don't belittle your colleagues. | ||
Synonyms | diminish | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s something. Somebody ----s somebody. Something ----s somebody. Something ----s something | ||
Broader (hypernym) | decrease, lessen, minify | ||