1.tr.v. dis·par·aged , dis·par·ag·ing , dis·par·ag·es
1. To speak of in a slighting or disrespectful way.
2. To reduce in esteem or rank.
[Middle English disparagen , to degrade, from Old French desparager : des- , dis- + parage , high birth (from per , peer; see peer 2).]
dis·par′age·ment n.
dis·par′ag·er n.
dis·par′ag·ing·ly adv.
Synonyms: disparage , denigrate , belittle , depreciate These verbs mean to minimize the value or importance of someone or something. Disparage implies a critical or dismissive attitude often accompanied by disrespect: "Leaders who wouldn't be caught dead making religious or ethnic slurs don't hesitate to disparage the 'godless' among us" (Daniel C. Dennett). Denigrate often adds a note of contempt: "elitist music critics who denigrated jazz by portraying it as inferior to the classical tradition" (Tyler Stovall). Belittle means to reduce someone or something to a lowly status, often in an arrogant or hurtful manner: "those who would mock and belittle others simply on the basis of their physical appearance" (Tyler Dilts). Depreciate implies the assignment of a low estimation of value or worth, though the judgment it expresses is generally less disdainful than in the previous terms: " [19th-century American] literature was still mainly subservient to English models and depreciated as secondhand and second rate" (Chronology of American Literature).