tr.v. be·lit·tled, be·lit·tling, be·lit·tles 1. To represent or speak of as unimportant or contemptible: a person who belittled our efforts to do the job right. See Synonyms at disparage. 2. To cause to seem little or smaller than something else: "Away on the very edge of the cliffs, close under the sky, were pines, belittled by distance" (Stewart Edward White). be·little·ment n. be·littler n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.