belittling

Verb

belittle (third-person singular simple present belittles, present participle belittling, simple past and past participle belittled)

1. (ambitransitive) To disparage, depreciate, or minimize the importance, value, merit, or significance of someone or something.
   • Don't belittle your colleagues.

   Synonyms:

   understate, make light of, denigrate, degrade, deprecate, disparage, downplay, play down, trivialize, bagatellize

   Antonyms:

   big up, exaggerate, cut it fat, hyperbolize, overcharge, overdo, overemphasize, overstate, play up, stretch

2. (transitive) To make small.
   • Now, the big blue space of river and sky belittled him, ulled him back into bewildered childhood.2022, Ian McEwan, Lessons, page 357

   Synonyms:

   abase, besmall, smallify, abate, bring down, embase, cut, decrease, decrement, diminish