belittle
verb
Simple meaning
To knowingly say that something is smaller or less important than it actually is.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
bihlituhlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
bɪˈlɪtəl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitive
To knowingly say that something is smaller or less important than it actually is, especially as a way of showing contempt or deprecation.
transitive
To make small.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient (estimated)
- Frequency
- Rare
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To knowingly say that something is smaller or less important than it actually is, especially as a way of showing contempt or deprecation.
Used this way, belittle is a reasonably familiar word with a faintly unfavourable edge. It stays understated rather than dramatic. It suits considered writing and prepared speech.
- Emotional tone
- Slightly negative
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Mild
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Serious and weighty
- Usage feel
- Formal and precise
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use belittle
- “Don't belittle his influence.”verb
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More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: to knowingly say that something is smaller
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.