Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- v. To speak of in a slighting or disrespectful way; belittle. See Synonyms at decry.
- v. To reduce in esteem or rank.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. Disparagement; disgrace resulting from an unequal match.
- To marry to one of inferior condition or rank; degrade by an unequal match or marriage; match unequally.
- To injure or dishonor by a comparison, especially by treating as equal or inferior to what is of less dignity, importance, or value.
- To undervalue; criticize or censure unjustly; speak slightingly of; vilify.
- To bring reproach on; lower the estimation or credit of; discredit; dishonor.
- Synonyms Depreeiate, Detract from, etc. See decry.
Wiktionary
- n. Inequality in marriage; marriage with an inferior.
- v. To match unequally; to degrade or dishonor.
- v. To dishonor by a comparison with what is inferior; to lower in rank or estimation by actions or words; to speak slightingly of; to depreciate; to undervalue.
- v. To ridicule, mock, discredit.
GNU Webster's 1913
- v. obsolete To match unequally; to degrade or dishonor by an unequal marriage.
- v. To dishonor by a comparison with what is inferior; to lower in rank or estimation by actions or words; to speak slightingly of; to depreciate; to undervalue.
- n. obsolete Inequality in marriage; marriage with an inferior.
WordNet 3.0
- v. express a negative opinion of
Etymologies
- From Middle English, from Old French desparager, from des- + parage ("equal rank, rank"). (Wiktionary)
- Middle English disparagen, to degrade, from Old French desparager : des-, dis- + parage, high birth (from per, peer; see peer2). (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Those that by sin disparage themselves, and will not by repentance humble themselves, are justly debased, and humbled, and brought low, by the judgments of God.”
Commentary on the Whole Bible Volume III (Job to Song of Solomon)
“An activist group supporting Provenge called Care to Live in October announced a $500 reward " for comprehensive information leading to the confirmed identification of the person " who anonymously emailed doctors this summer to " disparage " Provenge.”
The Wall Street Journal: Medicare to Review Cancer Treatment
“It did not 'disparage' or 'cast aspersions' on the series itself, which many of us at The Times admired as an example of the in-depth reporting the Journal used to do with some regularity.”
“How exactly did that guy "disparage" the military, by the way?”
“On the other hand, you say it's unreasonable for me to "disparage" the work of groups that focus their governments on issues in Tibet.”
“For NBC to say that they won't run ads that "disparage" the president is beyond sick, it's beyond un-American.”
“The networks are still a very powerful public opinion instrument, and allowing them to become political propaganda venues -- where messages that "disparage" the Leader are prohibited while all sorts of pro-Leader messages are allowed -- has the potential to be quite harmful.”
The networks' refusal to accept ads for The Dixie Chicks documentary
“But exploring such implications — even when it means revealing Spenser's anxiety regarding the English language or Shakespeare's concern with his own social status and the status of the public theater — does not "disparage" literature, as Kermode seems to suppose.”
“He does not doubt the truth of the unluckily blabbed secret; false harlot, false traitor, false clerk, are all words that tell his belief; but Mr Horne, not understanding "disparage," as it is here used by Chaucer, wholly mistakes the cause of the father's fury.”
“Allison Black correctly spelled "disparage" in the 10th round of the 83rd annual competition, according to the Birmingham News.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘disparage’.
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1100
abound, technology, branch of knowled..., prognosticate, automaton, matron, an older married ..., realm, special field of ..., kingdom, annals, historical records and 981 more...
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A-R-A Words
It's an odd-looking pattern in English. Please add words if it makes you happy. :) K-POW! Wow @gulyasrobi!
scarab, Arawak, Sahara, Arab, pharaoh, caravan, carat, parachute, arachnid, Saran Wrap, Sarah, tarantella and 492 more...
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allover
reintegrate, spight, surveillant, harmonize, Colophon, workplace, bigoted, unsighted, bridgework, salutation, voltmeter, octane and 159 more...
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501
Classic
aberration, abstruse, anomaly, assiduous, august, banal, boisterous, dulcet, epitome, impudent, insolent, mellifluous and 401 more...
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GRE Barron's 800
zealot, wistful, welter, wary, whimsical, warranted, vortex, vivisection, volatile, vitiate, viscous, visage and 787 more...
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11184 more...
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501
Classic
aberration, abstruse, anomaly, assiduous, august, banal, boisterous, dulcet, epitome, impudent, insolent, mellifluous and 401 more...
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GRE 2014
abate, abdicate, abase, aberrant, abeyance, abhor, abjure, abortive, abound, abrasive, abreast, abridge and 1577 more...
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501
Classic
irk, teem, blight, pith, moot, mete, ire, bane, bilk, boor, elan, ado and 401 more...
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(1st_wk_150)-Dec_5_2012
replete, steeped, eminent, indiscriminate, voracious, automaton, prognosticate, technology, abound, matron, tinge, compound and 297 more...
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501
Classic
bane, bilk, boor, elan, ado, toil, onus, aberration, abstruse, anomaly, assiduous, august and 401 more...
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The Spoken Word
Words relating to Conversation
adage, adamant, brusque, candor, cavil, compelling, didactic, disparage, emphatic, facetious, frank, fulminate and 7 more...
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GRE
trope, surreptitious, tenet, insular, munificent, exegesis, limpid, acerbic, litany, cupidity, restive, protract and 105 more...
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man gre
abase, abeyance, abreast, abscission, abscond, abyss, accede, accretion, acerbic, acidulous, acumen, adulterate and 483 more...
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GRE
GRE words from Princeton Review guide, ETS GRE Book from 2010 (for revised test), New Yorker/NY Times articles.
sycophant, obsequious, volubility, equanimity, enervate, effrontery, impertinent, platitude, impudence, quiescent, propitiate, equivocate and 124 more...
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GRE 1100
drudgery, implore, hapless, nuance, wrest, incipient, inadvertent, tremulous, bristle, euphemism, disdain, pugnacious and 346 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for disparage.
케발컨 doesn't it mean more like to lower in rank? Aug 2, 2008