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GRE vocabulary

denigrate

verbHigh-frequency wordMore D words

to criticize unfairly so as to belittle

Word origin: From Latin denigrare, to blacken, from niger, black.

In a sentence

Denigrate in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing denigrate in a sentence.

He denigrated his rivals' work to make his own seem superior.

It is possible to question a rival's methods without denigrating his motives or character.

Antonyms
praiseextollaud
Usage & nuance

Using “denigrate” well

Denigrate means to attack someone's reputation unfairly, pairing with disparage and malign. It implies blackening a name rather than offering fair criticism.

Common questions

Questions about “denigrate

Denigrate (verb) means to criticize unfairly so as to belittle
Here is denigrate used in an example sentence: "He denigrated his rivals' work to make his own seem superior." Another example: "It is possible to question a rival's methods without denigrating his motives or character."
Common synonyms for denigrate include disparage, belittle, malign.
Antonyms of denigrate include praise, extol, laud.
Clusters with disparage, belittle, and malign in Sentence Equivalence. Antonyms praise, extol, and laud describe building someone up.
Yes. Denigrate is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

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