dis·cred·it
(ˌ)dis-ˈkre-dət 
discredited; discrediting; discredits
1
: to refuse to accept as true or accurate : disbelieve
discredit a rumor
2
: to cause disbelief in the accuracy or authority of
trying to discredit the claims of a rival
a discredited theory
1
: loss of credit (see credit entry 1 sense 3) or reputation
I knew stories to the discredit of England—
W. B. Yeats
W. B. Yeats2
: lack or loss of belief or confidence : doubt
contradictions cast discredit on his testimony
Synonyms
Examples of discredit in a Sentence
Verb
The prosecution discredited the witness by showing that she had lied in the past.
Many of his theories have been thoroughly discredited.
an attempt to discredit the governor
Noun
to his everlasting discredit, the coach was found to have placed bets against his own team
Recent Examples on the WebShawn Tully, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2024
Ever since its forces invaded two years ago, Russia has unleashed a torrent of disinformation to try to discredit Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, and undermine the country’s support in the West.
—Steven Lee Myers, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2024
The Gomez lawsuit also referenced a State Bar investigation into his law practice — a probe Gomez said was contrived by his adversaries in another attempt to discredit him.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Mar. 2024
Investigators say the far-right ex-army captain led a plot to falsely discredit the Brazilian election system and prevent the winner of the vote, leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, from taking power.
—Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 1 Mar. 2024
Research has also discredited concerns that children get too many vaccines at once.
—Meg Kinnard, Fortune, 27 Mar. 2024
Read More Elaborate Tales: As the Ukraine war grinds on, the Kremlin has created increasingly complex fabrications online to discredit Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, and undermine the country’s support in the West.
—Maria Varenikova, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2024
However, this theory is often discredited due to the idea that ships would be moving during battle.
—Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024
Eubanks accused Lythgoe’s filing of cherry-picking from years of messages with Abdul to try to discredit her claims.
—Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024
Maggie Doherty, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024
And that's not a discredit to Ben-Adir's performance, which is the shining light of this film.
—The Arizona Republic, 12 Feb. 2024
The committee said that Santos’ conduct warrants public condemnation, is beneath the dignity of the office, and has brought severe discredit upon the House.
—Kevin Freking, Fortune, 16 Nov. 2023
The officers, both cops since November 2017, face allegations of numerous rule violations, ranging from bringing discredit to the department and engaging in an unjustified verbal or physical altercation, to incompetency or inefficiency during the performance of their duties.
—Jeremy Gorner, chicagotribune.com, 5 Aug. 2021
Two weeks after the riot, the left-leaning Campaign for Accountability made a similar request for probes to determine if several House members may have incited a riot or brought discredit to Congress, among other potential violations of federal law and the rules of the House of Representatives.
—Ronald J. Hansen, The Arizona Republic, 11 Mar. 2021
Judge Sophia Hall ruled the Chicago Police Board made a sound decision in dismissing Officer Ricardo Viramontes last year for several Chicago Police Department rule violations, including making false statements, bringing discredit to the department and failing to promote its goals.
—Jeremy Gorner, chicagotribune.com, 10 Dec. 2020
Alex Wolinski faces dismissal for eight different police department rule violations — ranging from bringing discredit to the department and failing to promote its efforts to disrespecting a person and incompetency — according to city records filed last week to the Chicago Police Board.
—Jeremy Gorner, chicagotribune.com, 10 Nov. 2021
The regrettable attack on Nat (King) Cole in Birmingham by a band of hoodlums redounds to the everlasting discredit of those who foster race prejudice.
—al, 10 Apr. 2021
Verb
Boeing needs the antithesis of the former, and now mainly discredited, GE style.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2024
Ever since its forces invaded two years ago, Russia has unleashed a torrent of disinformation to try to discredit Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, and undermine the country’s support in the West.
—Steven Lee Myers, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2024
The Gomez lawsuit also referenced a State Bar investigation into his law practice — a probe Gomez said was contrived by his adversaries in another attempt to discredit him.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Mar. 2024
Investigators say the far-right ex-army captain led a plot to falsely discredit the Brazilian election system and prevent the winner of the vote, leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, from taking power.
—Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 1 Mar. 2024
Research has also discredited concerns that children get too many vaccines at once.
—Meg Kinnard, Fortune, 27 Mar. 2024
Read More Elaborate Tales: As the Ukraine war grinds on, the Kremlin has created increasingly complex fabrications online to discredit Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, and undermine the country’s support in the West.
—Maria Varenikova, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2024
However, this theory is often discredited due to the idea that ships would be moving during battle.
—Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024
Eubanks accused Lythgoe’s filing of cherry-picking from years of messages with Abdul to try to discredit her claims.
—Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024
Noun
Torn up over her first real lesbian love, McCullers confessed her feelings to Reeves, who, to his great discredit, slapped her across the face.
—Maggie Doherty, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024
And that's not a discredit to Ben-Adir's performance, which is the shining light of this film.
—The Arizona Republic, 12 Feb. 2024
The committee said that Santos’ conduct warrants public condemnation, is beneath the dignity of the office, and has brought severe discredit upon the House.
—Kevin Freking, Fortune, 16 Nov. 2023
The officers, both cops since November 2017, face allegations of numerous rule violations, ranging from bringing discredit to the department and engaging in an unjustified verbal or physical altercation, to incompetency or inefficiency during the performance of their duties.
—Jeremy Gorner, chicagotribune.com, 5 Aug. 2021
Two weeks after the riot, the left-leaning Campaign for Accountability made a similar request for probes to determine if several House members may have incited a riot or brought discredit to Congress, among other potential violations of federal law and the rules of the House of Representatives.
—Ronald J. Hansen, The Arizona Republic, 11 Mar. 2021
Judge Sophia Hall ruled the Chicago Police Board made a sound decision in dismissing Officer Ricardo Viramontes last year for several Chicago Police Department rule violations, including making false statements, bringing discredit to the department and failing to promote its goals.
—Jeremy Gorner, chicagotribune.com, 10 Dec. 2020
Alex Wolinski faces dismissal for eight different police department rule violations — ranging from bringing discredit to the department and failing to promote its efforts to disrespecting a person and incompetency — according to city records filed last week to the Chicago Police Board.
—Jeremy Gorner, chicagotribune.com, 10 Nov. 2021
The regrettable attack on Nat (King) Cole in Birmingham by a band of hoodlums redounds to the everlasting discredit of those who foster race prejudice.
—al, 10 Apr. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'discredit.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near discredit
Cite this Entry
“Discredit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discredit. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
discredit
1 of 2 verb
dis·cred·it
(ˈ)dis-ˈkred-ət
1
: to refuse to accept as true or correct : disbelieve
discredit a rumor
2
: to cause to seem dishonest or untrue
discredit a witness
3
: to destroy the good reputation of : disgrace entry 1
involvement in the scandal discredited them
discreditable
adjective
-ə-bəl
discreditably
adverb
-blē
discredit
2 of 2 noun1
: loss of good name or respect
brought discredit on their family
2
: lack or loss of belief or confidence
bring a story into discredit
More from Merriam-Webster on discredit
Nglish: Translation of discredit for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of discredit for Arabic Speakers
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