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Added 9 October 2026

denigrate

/ˈdɛn.ɪ.ɡɹeɪ̯t/ verb

Latin root: dēnigrātus Wiktionary

verb Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about denigrate at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Cause to seem less serious; play down.
Don't belittle his influence
Charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone.
The journalists have defamed me!

Origin

Derived from Latin dēnigrātus, the perfect passive participle of dēnigrō (“to blacken”) [see -ate (verb-forming suffix)], from dē- (“of; from”) + nigrō (“to blacken”) [from niger (“black”)]. Cognate with Middle English denigart(e) (“darkened, discolored”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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