put-down
5
6.6
- noun
- /ˈpʊtˌdaʊn/
- Offensive
:
insulto
- His harsh put-down during the meeting embarrassed her in front of everyone.
- used as a put-down
The way that a retort is a put down designed to almost interrupt the flow of a conversation.
- The way that a retort is a put down designed to almost interrupt the flow of a conversation.
Examples
-
No more shame, blame, or put-downs will be allowed to go unaddressed.
Blog text (24) -
A lot of French Americanists have long or bruised memories and have not yet recovered from such put-downs.
Academic text (1994) -
In essence, "citation please" is usually a put down, rather than a sincere request for information.
Blog text (15) -
- What kind of a put-down is that?
-
Hey, that was a put-down.
-
It's just such a put-down!
-
Boy, that sounds like a real put-down.
-
Students began to talk about their own experiences with put-down language, whether racial or in other areas.
Academic text (2003) -
A clever put-down, but this hardly seems to do justice to the man.
Academic text (1992) -
I'm sick of all your put-downs and your neediness.
Synonyms
175
5.9
A short angry remark meant to hurt or criticize someone
34
6.3
An insulting remark meant to hurt someone
14
6.4
A short sharp remark meant to hurt or criticize someone
11
9.8
A remark that says bad things about someone to hurt their reputation
11
7.7
A sharp remark that humiliates someone in an argument
5
8.4
Unfair criticism that makes someone or their work seem bad
4
3.5
A rude remark that hurts or upsets someone
4
7.7
A word that shows strong dislike of someone or something
3
8.1
Talking about someone in a way that shows dislike and makes them seem unimportant
1
3.2
A rude comment meant to hurt someone or show no respect
1
7.1
Making someone feel small or unimportant
1
7.4
A mean comment that aims to hurt someone
A comment or action that makes someone feel unimportant
A very harsh and angry comment meant to hurt someone
A rude remark that criticizes or insults someone
A remark that is harsh and meant to hurt someone's feelings
Antonyms
How Insulting
- Formal
6
8.4
- Offensive
1
7.7
- Offensive
5
6.6
- Offensive
33
8.1
- Offensive
2
7.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
The word put-down comes from the simple phrase put down, where put means 'place' and down means 'lower'. A helpful image is imagining someone being lowered by words, so a put-down is an insulting remark that makes a person feel small.