derogate
Diminish in esteem
Derogate means to detract from or diminish something's authority, value, or standing: Nothing in this agreement shall derogate from your statutory rights.
The word appears most often in legal and formal contexts.
To derogate from a principle is to deviate from or make an exception to it.
The adjective derogatory, meaning disparaging or belittling, is far more common in everyday speech.
Spoken false defamation
- libelPrinted defamation
- defameHarm reputation falsely
- malignAttack someone's reputation
- vilifyAttack someone's reputation
smear · calumniate · traduce · besmirch · tarnish · discredit · impugn · asperse
Express low opinion of
- denigrateCriticize unfairly to harm
- deprecateExpress earnest disapproval
- demeanLower in standing
- diminishTo make smaller
belittle · mock · ridicule · scorn · scoff · disdain · sneer · deride
Turn from course
- departLeave a place
- divergeSeparate into directions
- strayWander from course
- digressStray from the topic
waive · exempt · contravene · breach · violate · disregard · circumvent · override
Weaken by stealth
- weakenReduce in strength
- subvertSecretly weaken authority
- sabotageDeliberate disruption of operations
- erodeDiminish through persistent friction
destabilize · compromise · impair · diminish · detract · devalue · invalidate · undercut
slander
Spoken false defamation
vilify · smear · calumniate · traduce · besmirch · tarnish · discredit · impugn · asperse · blacken
disparage
Express low opinion of
diminish · belittle · mock · ridicule · scorn · scoff · disdain · sneer · deride · slight
deviate
Turn from course
digress · waive · exempt · contravene · breach · violate · disregard · circumvent · override · sidestep
undermine
Weaken by stealth
erode · destabilize · compromise · impair · diminish · detract · devalue · invalidate · undercut · damage
- derogatory termsInsulting names for groups
- derogatory remarksDisparaging spoken criticism