Choose the most appropriate synonym of the underlined word.
A few fans on social media began to denigrate the young bowler after one costly over in the final.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Belittle
As used in the sentence, denigrate means to say unfairly that someone or something is not good or important. Its synonym is belittle. Example: Never denigrate a classmate’s work just because it is different from yours.
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) Belittle (answer) | to make someone or something seem unimportant (same as denigrate) | Rohan’s cousins belittle his love for painting. |
| (2) Discourage | to make someone lose confidence or the wish to do something (about the will to try, not a person’s worth) | Low marks in the first test did not discourage Pooja. |
| (3) Extol | to praise very highly (the opposite of denigrate) | The newspapers extol the young chess champion from Chennai. |
| (4) Mimic | to copy the way someone speaks or moves | My brother can mimic our class teacher’s voice perfectly. |
| Synonyms of denigrate: belittle, disparage, run down, decry Antonyms of denigrate: extol, praise, glorify |