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Belittle

verb/kˈænsɪɹˌuːt/
Definition
cause to seem less serious; play down
express a negative opinion of
Pronunciation
🇺🇸American English
/kˈænsɪɹˌuːt/
🇬🇧British English
/ˈazɡɑːd/
🇮🇳Indian English
/ˈazɡɑːd/
2 syllables Say it as /kˈænsɪɹˌuːt/.
Examples
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
Antonyms
Parts of Speech
verbcause to seem less serious; play down
“Don't belittle his influence”
verbexpress a negative opinion of
“She disparaged her student's efforts”
verblessen the authority, dignity, or reputation of
“don't belittle your colleagues”
Word Forms
minimizationnounthe act of reducing something to the least possible amount or degree or position
minimumnounthe smallest possible quantity
denigrativeadjective(used of statements) harmful and often untrue; tending to discredit or malign
denigrationnouna belittling comment
derogativeadjectiveexpressive of low opinion
derogatoryadjectiveexpressive of low opinion
derogationnouna communication that belittles somebody or something
disparagementnouna communication that belittles somebody or something
disparagernounone who disparages or belittles the worth of something
Around the World
Europe
🇩🇪German
schmälern
Grund, weniger ernst zu erscheinen; verharmlosen
🇫🇷French
rabaisser
faire paraître moins sérieux; minimiser
🇪🇸Spanish
empequeñecer
hacer que parezca menos grave; minimizar
🇮🇹Italian
sminuire
far sembrare meno grave; sdrammatizzare
🇳🇱Dutch
kleineren
oorzaak dat het minder ernstig lijkt; bagatelliseren
🇵🇹Portuguese
menosprezar
fazer parecer menos sério; minimizar
🇷🇺Russian
принижать
заставить казаться менее серьезным; преуменьшать значение
India
🇮🇳Hindi
कम हो जाना
कम गंभीर लगने का कारण; कम करके दिखाना
🇧🇩Bengali
ছোট
কম গুরুতর মনে হওয়ার কারণ; নিচে খেলা
🇮🇳Tamil
சிறியது
குறைவான தீவிரம் போல் தோன்ற காரணம்; கீழே விளையாடு
🇮🇳Telugu
తక్కువ
తక్కువ తీవ్రమైన అనిపించడానికి కారణం; డౌన్ ప్లే
🇮🇳Marathi
तुच्छता
कमी गंभीर वाटण्याचे कारण; खाली खेळा
🇮🇳Gujarati
તુચ્છ
ઓછા ગંભીર લાગવાનું કારણ; નીચે રમો
🇮🇳Kannada
ಕಡಿಮೆ
ಕಡಿಮೆ ಗಂಭೀರವಾಗಿ ಕಾಣಲು ಕಾರಣ; ಕೆಳಗೆ ಆಟವಾಡಿ
🇮🇳Malayalam
നികൃഷ്ടമായ
ഗൗരവം കുറഞ്ഞതായി തോന്നാൻ കാരണം; താഴെ കളിക്കുക
🇮🇳Punjabi
ਘੱਟ
ਘੱਟ ਗੰਭੀਰ ਲੱਗਣ ਦਾ ਕਾਰਨ; ਹੇਠਾਂ ਖੇਡੋ
🇵🇰Urdu
چھوٹا
کم سنجیدہ لگنے کا سبب؛ نیچے کھیلیں
East & Southeast Asia
🇨🇳Chinese
贬低
导致看起来不那么严重;贬低
🇯🇵Japanese
軽視する
それほど深刻ではないように思わせる。プレイダウン
🇰🇷Korean
얕보다
덜 심각한 것처럼 보이게 만듭니다. 놀아 라
🇻🇳Vietnamese
chê
nguyên nhân có vẻ ít nghiêm trọng hơn; chơi xuống
🇹🇭Thai
ดูถูก
ทำให้ดูจริงจังน้อยลง เล่นลงไป
🇮🇩Indonesian
meremehkan
menyebabkan tampak kurang serius; mengecilkan
🇵🇭Filipino
maliitin
maging sanhi ng hindi gaanong seryoso; maglaro pababa
🇲🇾Malay
memperkecilkan
menyebabkan kelihatan kurang serius; main turun
Middle East
🇸🇦Arabic
استخفاف
السبب ليبدو أقل خطورة؛ قلل من شأنك
🇮🇷Persian
تحقیر کردن
علت کمتر جدی به نظر می رسد. بازی کردن
🇹🇷Turkish
küçümsemek
daha az ciddi görünmesine neden olmak; küçümsemek
🇮🇱Hebrew
לִזַלזֵל בְּעֵרכּוֹ
לגרום להיראות פחות רציני; לשחק למטה
Test Yourself1 / 3
What is the primary definition of the word 'belittle'?
The primary meaning of 'belittle' is 'cause to seem less serious; play down'.
Which of the following sentences uses the word 'belittle' in a grammatically correct way?
Using 'belittle' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.
In which domain is the word 'belittle' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?
'belittle' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.
Community Poll1 / 6
How often do you encounter the word 'belittle' in your daily reading?
Very Often
Occasionally
Rarely
Never
Do you find 'belittle' easy to spell?
Yes, very easy
Somewhat easy
A bit confusing
Extremely hard
In your opinion, does the word 'belittle' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?
Positive
Neutral
Gloomy
Vibrant
Which age group is most likely to use 'belittle' in regular conversations?
Kids (3-12)
Teens (13-19)
Adults (20-60)
Seniors (60+)
How likely are you to use 'belittle' in a professional email?
Very likely
Somewhat likely
Not very likely
Never
Would you classify 'belittle' as formal, casual, or slang?
Formal
Casual
Slang
Archaic
Pick an option to see how others voted
This word is also in the Advanced book — want the full, immersive treatment (age meanings, culture, creative use, deeper Hindi & exercises)? Open the Advanced entry →