belittle

Word parts

be- + little

Pronunciation

• IPA ^(key): /bɨˈlɪt.əl/

• Audio (US)

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• Audio (AU)

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Verb

Plain form belittle

Third-person singular belittles

Past tense belittled

Past participle belittled

Present participle belittling

1. (transitive) If you belittle something, you say things that makes it less important than it actually is.
   • Synonym: degrade

   John's colleagues dislikes him as he likes to belittle them.

Related words

• belittlement
• look down