Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To speak of in a slighting or disrespectful way.
  • transitive verb To reduce in esteem or rank.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • 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 Depreciate, Detract from, etc. See decry.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb obsolete To match unequally; to degrade or dishonor by an unequal marriage.
  • transitive verb 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.
  • noun obsolete Inequality in marriage; marriage with an inferior.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Inequality in marriage; marriage with an inferior.
  • verb To match unequally; to degrade or dishonor.
  • verb 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.
  • verb To ridicule, mock, discredit.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb express a negative opinion of

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English disparagen, to degrade, from Old French desparager : des-, dis- + parage, high birth (from per, peer; see peer).]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English, from Old French desparager, from des- + parage ("equal rank, rank").

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word disparage.

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) 1721

  • 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.

    Medicare to Review Cancer Treatment Alicia Mundy 2010

  • "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."

    Bill Keller Responds to the Journal's Latest Accusation 2009

  • How exactly did that guy "disparage" the military, by the way?

    Uh oh, ... CC 2009

  • "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."

    Bill Keller Responds to the Journal's Latest Accusation 2009

  • 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.

    Free Advice for the Free Tibet Crowd 2007

  • 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 Glenn Greenwald 2006

  • 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.

    Archive 2006-10-01 Glenn Greenwald 2006

  • For NBC to say that they won't run ads that "disparage" the president is beyond sick, it's beyond un-American.

    10/27/2006 2006

  • 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.

    'Forms of Nationhood' Helgerson, Richard 1992

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • doesn't it mean more like to lower in rank?

    August 2, 2008