貶おとしめる

お

と

し

め

る

Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

ichidan verb, transitive verb

look down on; disparage; belittle

Expresses active contempt or scorn, often with intent to lower someone's reputation or worth. Stronger than 見下す.

彼かれはいつも他た人にんを貶おとしめるようなことばかり言いう。
He always says things that belittle others.

そんな

ふう

に

相あい

手て

を

貶おとし

め

て

は

いけ

ない

。

You mustn't disparage your opponent like that.

2

ichidan verb, transitive verb

bring down; cause to decline; lower

Used for causing a decline in status, quality, or value. Less common than sense 1; often appears in literary or formal contexts.

その政せい策さくは国くにの威い信しんを貶おとしめる結けっ果かとなった。
That policy ended up lowering the nation's prestige.

Written forms

貶おとしめるUsage60%
Standard kanji spelling; the character 貶 is not in the Jōyō kanji list but is the established form for this verb.
おとしめるUsage40%
Kana spelling is common when the kanji is considered difficult or obscure.

Kanji

貶degrade, disparage, belittle

Similar words

見み下くだす
見下す means to look down on someone from a superior position, often with a nuance of arrogance. 貶める is more active and implies an effort to damage someone's reputation or worth.
落おとす
落とす is the general verb for dropping or lowering something physically or abstractly. 貶める is specifically about lowering status, value, or reputation, and carries a stronger negative moral judgment.

Etymology

Derived from the verb 落とす (おとす, 'to drop') with the old auxiliary む, indicating causation or making something become a certain state. The kanji 貶 specifically means 'to disparage' or 'to lower in rank'.