disparage

verb | dih-SPAIR-ij

Definition
1 : to depreciate by indirect means (such as invidious comparison) : to speak
slightingly about

2 : to lower in rank or reputation : degrade

Did You Know?
In Middle English, to "disparage" someone meant causing that person to marry
someone of inferior rank. Disparage derives from the Anglo-French
word desparager, meaning "to marry below one's class." Desparager, in turn,
combines the negative prefix des- with parage (meaning "equality" or
"lineage"), which itself comes from per, meaning "peer." The original
"marriage" sense of disparage is now obsolete, but a closely-related sense
(meaning "to lower in rank or reputation") survives in modern English. By the
16th century, English speakers (including William Shakespeare) were also
using disparageto mean simply "to belittle."
Examples of DISPARAGE

"In the early 1990s the president of newly independent Estonia gave a speech
in Hamburg. In it, he disparaged the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states. A
little-known Russian official was so outraged that he stormed out. It was
Vladimir Putin."
— The Economist, 2 Feb. 2019

"Despite his own military background, Jackson did not unnecessarily glorify
war or disparage peace. In his farewell address, he wrote, 'It is unquestionably
our true interest to cultivate the most friendly understanding with every nation
and to avoid by every honorable means the calamities of war.'"
— Jeff Taylor, The American Conservative, 1 Jan. 2019

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Fill in the blanks to complete a synonym of disparage: v _ l _ p _ n _.

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vilipend
verb
vil·i·pend | \ ˈvi-lə-ˌpend \
vilipended; vilipending; vilipends
Definition of vilipend
transitive verb
1: to hold or treat as of little worth or account : CONTEMN
2: to express a low opinion of : DISPARAGE