DEROGATE

Pronunciation (US): (GB):

Present simple: I / you / we / they derogate ... he / she / it derogates

Past simple: derogated

Past participle: derogated

-ing form: derogating

Meaning:

Cause to seem less serious; play down

Example:

Don't belittle his influence

Synonyms:

belittle; denigrate; derogate; minimize

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "derogate" is one way to...):

belittle; disparage; pick at (express a negative opinion of)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "derogate"):

talk down (belittle through talk)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

derogation (a communication that belittles somebody or something)

derogative; derogatory (expressive of low opinion)