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to discredit

to discredit

66 6.3
To harm someone's reputation so others stop trusting them
  • verb
  • /dɪsˈkrɛdɪt/
translation icon : desacreditar
  • On the bus, Luke again attempted to discredit his brother.
  • attempts to discredit
  • seek to discredit
  • a campaign to discredit

This campaign against you is meant to discredit you, so we won't believe you.

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Examples

  • The politician tried to discredit his opponent by spreading false rumors.

  • Jesus' enemies will do everything to discredit him.

  • But you are here to discredit me.

  • "Because not only do we want to kill him, we want to discredit his research.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • We'll just have to get the best lawyers, try to discredit her in court, and hope we can beat it.

  • This campaign against you is meant to discredit you, so we won't believe you.

  • They try to discredit people like me because we are different.

  • They are trying to discredit her.

  • The only reason to do that would be to spread misinformation in order to discredit him as a potential source.

  • The frequency and significance of these errors serve to discredit the entire article.

    Academic text (1994)

Synonyms

to taint
vsto discredit
126 7.3

To make something harmful or spoil its quality

is the direct act that causes people to stop trusting or believing
to demonize
vsto discredit
  • Literature
77 7.1

Make a person, group, or thing seem evil and dangerous, often unfairly

aims to harm trust without necessarily painting someone as evil
to disgrace
vsto discredit
62 4.5

To make someone lose respect or honor by doing something shameful

focuses on causing people to stop trusting rather than only shame
to denigrate
vsto discredit
48 7.8

To say bad things about someone without a good reason to make them seem less important

is about harming trust and belief, not only lowering importance
to belittle
vsto discredit
45 5.0

To make someone or something seem not important

is about reducing trust and belief, not merely lowering value
to vilify
vsto discredit
43 7.9

To say or write bad things about someone to harm them

is the general harm to standing without the abusive tone
to slander
vsto discredit
  • Specialized
31 6.3

To say false things that damage someone's reputation

is the general act of harming trust, not limited to spoken claims
to disparage
vsto discredit
28 7.7

To speak badly about someone or something to show little respect

focuses on causing others to stop trusting rather than only disrespect
to stigmatize
vsto discredit
  • US
24 7.5

Treat someone as shameful and not worthy of respect

is about causing loss of trust and belief rather than social branding
to defame
vsto discredit
  • Formal
18 6.8

To say false things about someone that harm their good name

is broader and can harm standing without any false statements
to demolish
vsto discredit
15 4.2

Completely destroy an idea, argument, or reputation

is milder and means harming standing without total destruction
to delegitimize
vsto discredit
  • Formal
12 7.7

To make people think someone or something is not acceptable

is about harming trust and belief rather than only formal validity
to undermine credibility
vsto discredit
8 6.6

Make people trust someone or something less

focuses on causing people to stop trusting rather than simple insults
to libel
vsto discredit
  • Specialized
5 8.2

To make a false written statement that harms someone's reputation

is wider, covering harm to trust without requiring published lies
to tarnish reputation
vsto discredit
3 6.0

Damage the respect and good opinion people have of someone or something

is the general act that causes others to stop trusting or believing
to derogate
vsto discredit
1 8.4

Say or do things that make someone seem less respected

is broader, targeting trust and belief not merely social worth
to calumniate
vsto discredit
  • Formal
1 9.9

To say false things about someone to harm their reputation

is broader, harming standing even when statements are true or general

Antonyms

to validate
  • Formal
87 3.9

To make something officially acceptable by showing proof

How Damaging

to ruin
2.0
to defame
  • Formal
18 6.8
to discredit
66 6.3
to sully
13 7.6
to tarnish
60 4.9

Surface Forms

discredit infinitive
discredited past participle
discrediting present participle
discredits third person singular

Morphology

discredit = credit (semi-transparent) = dis + credit

The sense is interpretable as causing someone to lose credit in the sense of trust or reputation, but the reputational causative meaning is a slight semantic extension rather than a purely mechanical opposite.

Etymology

Discredit comes from dis- 'not' and credere 'to believe', the same root as in credit. So to discredit a person is to harm their reputation and make people stop trusting or respecting them.