English vocabulary · C2
Disparage
/dɪˈsper.ɪdʒ/ · v.
To disparage someone's work is to say it has little worth. Your words make good work seem bad and can hurt the person who made it.
Watch the Disparage lessonContinue in the learning app for video lessons and review.
Example sentences
- Don't disparage my work; I tried.
- She disparaged his prize and laughed.
Word origin and roots
from Latin
- dis — away (from Latin)
- par — equal (from Latin)
Synonyms and nuances
- BELITTLE — make someone seem unimportant (Make work seem small)
- DEMEAN — treat without respect (Take away respect)
- MOCK — laugh at someone cruelly (Laugh to hurt)
Words with the same root
par — equal
- compare — check how things differ
- disparity — a large difference
- parity — an equal level
Lesson notes
To disparage someone's work is to say it has little worth. Your words make good work seem bad and can hurt the person who made it.
Related: belittle, demean, mock. Use disparage when words make work seem bad.
Don't disparage my work; I tried. She disparaged his prize and laughed.
From Latin. Dis- means away. Par- means equal. Push an equal away with words: you disparage them.