MEANING
Criticism that reduces the perceived worth or importance of someone or something through belittling description.
Use it for
identifying an attack on worth rather than reasoning; analyzing rhetoric that dismisses an opposing group; distinguishing substantive criticism from disparaging treatmentDistinguishes belittling an opponent from addressing the substance of their argument. Academic functions: Argumentation.
Words that belong together
- denigration of opponents
- systematic denigration
- denigration of a tradition
On the page
The response relies on denigration of the author rather than analysis of the evidence.
The critic distinguishes disagreement with a tradition from denigration of everyone associated with it.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- denigration
Usage notes
Normally uncountable. Denigration of + person, group, work or idea. Register: formal. Commonness: uncommon (qualitative editorial estimate, informed by dictionaries/corpus).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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