to put down
55
4.9
- phrasal verb
- /pʊt daʊn/
- Offensive
:
humillar
- My folks were always putting him down
- put down people
- try to put someone down
- always putting people down
They seem to put themselves down, but not really.
- They seem to put themselves down, but not really.
- And not to put it down, but doesn't it shock you?
- I'm like you, I can't sit here and put anybody down for the choices that they make.
- They're going to feel put down by you.
- We don't need other men putting our brothers down.
- That's like being so humble to the point you're putting yourself down.
Examples
-
Most of the guys I know, they put their wives down all the time.
-
So instead of putting yourself down, lift yourself up.
-
People who have strength will try to put somebody down always.
-
No, now I just feel bad knowing that, you know, knowing that people are putting down your sister.
-
I have every right to put you down.
-
Why do you put me down?
-
I like people, but I hate being put down by anyone.
Academic text (1998) -
I'm not here to put you down.
-
I'm not putting him down; I just have a commitment to the truth.
Fiction book (1996) -
It's sad to see how some people always need to put down others to feel better about themselves.
Synonyms
144
5.1
To say cruel things to make people think less of someone
55
5.1
To treat someone so they feel ashamed or less respected
53
6.8
To make someone feel less respected or important
48
7.8
To say bad things about someone without a good reason to make them seem less important
45
5.0
To make someone or something seem not important
28
7.7
To speak badly about someone or something to show little respect
15
6.6
Speak to someone as if they are less smart or important
14
6.7
To speak to someone as if they are less smart or less important
9
7.2
Make someone feel ashamed or less important by showing your power
3
7.6
Make someone feel less proud by criticizing or embarrassing them
3
8.6
To say bad things about someone to make them look worse
1
8.4
Say or do things that make someone seem less respected
1
7.1
To speak badly about someone or something in public
To say things that make other people feel small
To show disrespect to someone by making them feel unimportant
Antonyms
How Insulting
- Offensive
414
6.1
- Offensive
55
4.9
- Offensive
209
3.4
- Offensive
307
2.3
17
4.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense of lowering someone (put = place; down = lower/low) gives a clear metaphorical route from the literal constituents to the idiomatic meaning of belittling, so learners who know both words can often infer the general idea. However, the shift from a physical action to a social/ evaluative meaning (criticize or demean) is a metaphorical extension and not strictly compositional or fully predictable, so it is only partially transparent to B1 learners.
Etymology
Put down This sense likely comes from the picture of pushing someone lower so they seem smaller: put (place) and down (lower), which becomes a way to make someone feel less important. That's why it now means 'to criticize or belittle someone'.