Definition of "belittle"

belittle

/bɪˈlɪt.əl/

verb
third-person singular simple present belittles, present participle belittling, simple past and past participle belittled
1. (transitive) To knowingly say that something is smaller or less important than it actually is, especially as a way of showing contempt or deprecation.
  Quotations
  An essential part of any German campaign is obviously the efficiency of its lines of communication and therefore it is dangerous to belittle our enemy's strength in this direction.
  1941 March, “Notes and News: Underestimating the Enemy's Strength”, in Railway Magazine, page 129
  Under the rules as understood by the New York Times, the West is free to mock and belittle its Judeo-Christian inheritance, and, likewise, the Muslim world is free to mock and belittle the West's Judeo-Christian inheritance.
  2006, Mark Steyn, chapter 9, in America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It, page 201
2. (transitive) To make small.
  Quotations
  Now, the big blue space of river and sky belittled him, ulled him back into bewildered childhood.
  2022, Ian McEwan, Lessons, page 357

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