Belittles

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To express an opinion or attitude that makes someone or something appear inferior or less significant
2. To speak about a person or thing in a way that downplays their importance or worth
3. To diminish the perceived value or status of someone or something through critical or disparaging remarks

Etymology: Thomas Jefferson is the first person on record to use this verb, and he used it to criticise a famous naturalist. In his 1785 "Notes on the State of Virginia," he took issue with the Count de Buffon's theory that nature tended to make American plants and animals smaller and weaker than their European counterparts. Jefferson wrote that Buffon had carried this theory "to belittle her productions on this side of the Atlantic." The word is a simple formation: the prefix "be-", which in older English could turn a noun or adjective into a verb meaning "to treat as" or "to make", attached to "little". So the literal sense is "to make little," and Jefferson's use fits that exactly, since he was accusing Buffon of making American nature look smaller than it really was. Its meaning has since narrowed from making things physically smaller to making a person or achievement seem unimportant, usually through unkind words or attitude.

Synonyms: demeans, disparages, deprecates, denigrates, minimizes

Antonyms: praises, elevates, applauds, honors, lauds