discredit
Americanverb (used with object)
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to injure the credit or reputation of; defame.
an effort to discredit honest politicians.
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to show to be undeserving of trust or belief; destroy confidence in.
Later research discredited earlier theories.
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to give no credence to; disbelieve.
There was good reason to discredit the witness.
noun
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loss or lack of belief or confidence; disbelief; distrust.
His theories met with general discredit.
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loss or lack of repute or esteem; disrepute.
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something that damages a good reputation.
This behavior will be a discredit to your good name.
verb
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to damage the reputation of
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to cause to be disbelieved or distrusted
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to reject as untrue or of questionable accuracy
noun
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a person, thing, or state of affairs that causes disgrace
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damage to a reputation
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lack of belief or confidence
Other Word Forms
- undiscredited adjective
Etymology
Origin of discredit
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"The fear is that it could discredit any form of European dimension," said Galleri.
From Barron's
Here, then, is a sampling of predictions, which range from the discredited to pseudoscience to the bizarre.
From Barron's
Here, then, is a sampling of predictions, which range from the discredited to pseudoscience to the bizarre.
From Barron's
Meta’s lawyers have so far sought to discredit the idea of social media addiction, while simultaneously casting doubt on whether Kaley actually has it.
From Los Angeles Times
Along with the 13 who told the BBC they were pressured to embellish their evidence or lie, that means the evidence of 15 key prosecution witnesses has now been discredited or undermined.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
