Definitions for belittlebɪˈlɪt l
Random House Webster's College Dictionary
be•lit•tlebɪˈlɪt l(v.t.)-tled, -tling.
to regard or portray as less impressive or important than appearances indicate; disparage.
Origin of belittle:
1775–85, Amer.
be•lit′tler(n.)
Princeton's WordNet
minimize, belittle, denigrate, derogate(verb)
cause to seem less serious; play down
"Don't belittle his influence"
disparage, belittle, pick at(verb)
express a negative opinion of
"She disparaged her student's efforts"
diminish, belittle(verb)
lessen the authority, dignity, or reputation of
"don't belittle your colleagues"
Wiktionary
belittle(Verb)
To knowingly say that something is smaller or less important than it actually is.
Origin: From . Coined by Thomas Jefferson in 1782 in "Notes on the State of Virginia": "So far the Count de Buffon has carried this new theory of the tendency of nature to belittle her productions on this side the Atlantic."
Webster Dictionary
Belittle(verb)
to make little or less in a moral sense; to speak of in a depreciatory or contemptuous way
Translations for belittle
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary
belittle(verb)
to make to seem unimportant (usually by harsh criticism)
She belittled his achievements.
- afkraak, verkleineerAfrikaans
- يُقَلِّل من قيمَةArabic
- подценявамBulgarian
- diminuirPortuguese (BR)
- snižovat, znevažovatCzech
- herabsetzenGerman
- bagatellisere; nedvurdereDanish
- υποβαθμίζω, μειώνωGreek
- minimizar, subestimarSpanish
- halvustamaEstonian
- کوچک شمردن؛ تحقیر کردنFarsi
- vähätelläFinnish
- déprécierFrench
- לְזַלזֵלHebrew
- छोटा करनाHindi
- umanjitiCroatian
- (le)kicsinyelHungarian
- meremehkanIndonesian
- gera lítið úrIcelandic
- sminuireItalian
- けなすJapanese
- 경시하다Korean
- (su)menkintiLithuanian
- noniecinātLatvian
- mengecil-ngecilkanMalay
- kleinerenDutch
- bagatellisere, nedvurdereNorwegian
- umniejszyćPolish
- کوچک شمردن؛ تحقیر کردنPersian
- وړو كى كول وړو كى ښودل لږول، لږ ښودل سپكول تحقيرولPashto
- minimizarPortuguese
- a minimalizaRomanian
- умалятьRussian
- znevážiťSlovak
- podcenjevatiSlovenian
- umanjitiSerbian
- förringa, nedsättaSwedish
- ดูถูกThai
- küçültmek, küçümsemek, küçük görmekTurkish
- 貶低Chinese (Trad.)
- принижувати; применшуватиUkrainian
- گھٹا کر بیان کرنا ، برے لفظوں میں بیان کرناUrdu
- coi nhẹVietnamese
- 贬低Chinese (Simp.)
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"belittle." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2013. Web. 19 Jun 2013. <http://www.definitions.net/definition/belittle>.