belittle

== English == === Etymology === From be- +‎ little. Coined by Thomas Jefferson in 1782 === Pronunciation === (UK, US) IPA(key): /bɪˈlɪt.əl/ Rhymes: -ɪtəl === Verb === belittle (third-person singular simple present belittles, present participle belittling, simple past and past participle belittled) (transitive) To knowingly say that something is smaller or less important than it actually is, especially as a way of showing contempt or deprecation. [from 1782] Synonyms: understate, make light of, denigrate, degrade, deprecate, disparage, downplay, play down, trivialize, bagatellize, abase; see also Thesaurus:trivialize Antonyms: big up, exaggerate; see also Thesaurus:exaggerate (transitive) To make small. Synonyms: abase, besmall, smallify; see also Thesaurus:diminish ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === References ===