belittle

/bɪˈlɪtl/ (bre, ipa) · /bɪˈlɪtl/ (ame, ipa) · /bi-ˈli-tᵊl bē-/ (ame, mw)

belittle — verb

  • belittlepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • belittleshe / she / it
  • belittledpast simple
  • belittling-ing form

1. to say or do things that make someone or their work seem small, unimportant, or

1.動詞及物B2
釋義

to say or do things that make someone or their work seem small, unimportant, or not worth respecting

例句

Jamal’s boss constantly belittled his ideas during team meetings, which hurt everyone’s confidence.

belittled his ideas

Rin felt belittled when her classmates laughed at her presentation about Taiwanese history.

felt belittled

同義詞
  • disparage

    more formal, often public criticism that damages reputation

  • trivialize

    focuses on making something serious seem unimportant or not worth concern

  • minimize

    can be neutral (reduce impact) rather than dismissive

  • put down

    informal, same core meaning, common in everyday speech

反義詞
  • praise

    express warm approval or admiration

  • value

    treat as important and worthwhile

文法句型

belittle + noun phrase

belittle + someone + for + noun/gerund

用法筆記

Frequently passive (‘feel belittled’, ‘was belittled’). Subject is typically a person, group, or institution that dismisses or mocks. Object is a person, their work, ideas, efforts, or abilities. The verb carries a strongly negative connotation of unfair or mocking dismissal.

常見錯誤

❌The teacher belittled that the student was wrong.
✅The teacher belittled the student for being wrong.
💡belittle takes a direct object (someone or something), not a that-clause.
❌She belittled him to be lazy.
✅She belittled him for being lazy.
💡use ‘for’ + gerund/noun to give the reason, not a to-infinitive.