1
as in humiliating
to reduce to a lower standing in one's own eyes or in others' eyes
attempted to discredit her political opponents by deliberately spreading false rumors
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in denying
to think not to be true or real
I discredit the story that the old inn is haunted
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3
as in refuting
to prove to be false
the pseudoscience of phrenology has been thoroughly discredited
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of discrediting
Megan thee Stallion, legal name Megan Pete, sued Milagro Cooper last year for defamation, accusing her of working with Tory Lanez on discrediting her during his own trial with Pete where he was convicted of shooting her in the foot.
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Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 24 Nov. 2025
On Thursday, India’s Press Information Bureau dismissed earlier social-media posts claiming that a Tejas aircraft had an oil leak during the air show, saying they were aimed at discrediting the fighter’s established technical reliability with unfounded claims, according to The Associated Press.
—Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
At first the French suffered defeats, discrediting the Directory.
—Literary Hub, 19 Nov. 2025
Advertisement All of this Mormon pop culture has helped to create an impression of a religion comparable to, say, Catholicism, with adherents ranging from orthodox to casual and a history of covering up abuse that has stained its establishment without fundamentally discrediting its belief system.
—Judy Berman, Time, 12 Nov. 2025
Separately, court records show Loginova faces more charges for discrediting the army.
—Reuters, NBC news, 11 Nov. 2025
To be put in this category is discrediting.
—Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 2 Nov. 2025
Already, Cuba’s top diplomats have been sharing propaganda content discrediting Machado as a warmonger.
—Nora Gamez Torres, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2025
There would be accusations of race manipulation, an online mob discrediting Wallace’s win as undeserved, and an angry Joe Gibbs Racing organization, which would now realize Hamlin puts another team’s interests ahead of their own.
—Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discrediting
Verb
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This announcement, humiliating the involved member, is harmful.—
Verb
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Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell released a video statement on Sunday night denying criminal wrongdoing shortly after the Department of Justice opened an investigation into him.—
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The vaccine misinformation advanced by the president and his science-denying Secretary of Health and Human Services is taking its toll on vaccination rates.—
Verb
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The film spends the next hour and 50 minutes refuting that idea.—
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Michaels took to her Instagram days after the release of Fit for TV to post a series of screenshots of text chains, email threads, and other pieces of documentation refuting or otherwise complicating each claim leveled at her.—
Verb
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The report reiterated concerns about seven situations, two of which have been on the list since 2007, including the bureaucracy’s chronic inability to successfully employ information technology — embarrassing for a state that is the global center for digital tools.—
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An ever-growing pile of embarrassing legislative audits consistently reveals the persistent challenge the governor has with recruiting and retaining leaders with executive acumen.—
Verb
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The higher-ups are disbelieving, but Alex points out that the network has a fancy new AI that can replicate her voice in a zillion languages.—
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Pearl, Dale’s adult daughter, vacillates between disbelieving that her father committed suicide and blaming her mother for it.—
Verb
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Memorably, running back Emari Demercado broke free on a long run — only to drop the football before crossing the goal line, negating a potential game-sealing touchdown.—
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Some analysts say Washington should be focusing on large numbers of small naval vessels, capable of carrying a few missiles or drones each, and dispersing them across a vast range of waterways, negating Beijing’s advantage in missile numbers by presenting too many targets to handle.—
Verb
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Money-minded Venus is squaring curative Chiron, pushing you to match your spending habits with your values (without shaming yourself or others).—
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Body shaming people on the other hand is NOT healthy and very rude.—
Cite this Entry
“Discrediting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discrediting. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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