to denigrate
Loading your saved state.
to denigrate
To intentionally present someone or something in a very bad light, insult them, or damage their reputation through derogatory, often untrue statements.
Der Politiker versuchte, seinen Konkurrenten im Wahlkampf öffentlich zu verunglimpfen.
The politician tried to publicly denigrate his competitor during the election campaign.
The prefix 'ver-' is inseparable. It remains firmly attached to the verb stem in all conjugated forms and sentence types.
Er hat seinen Gegner öffentlich verunglimpft.
He publicly denigrated his opponent.
'Verunglimpfen' (to denigrate) is a strong and formal word. It is mainly used in written language or formal discussions and expresses a deliberate, malicious disparagement.
Die Zeitung wurde kritisiert, weil sie den Künstler in ihrem Artikel verunglimpft hatte.
The newspaper was criticized because it had denigrated the artist in its article.
The verb always needs an accusative object (jemanden/etwas verunglimpfen — to denigrate someone/something). It is often described more precisely with 'als' + adjective/noun to show how someone is being disparaged.
Sie verunglimpfte seine Arbeit als wertlos.
She denigrated his work as worthless.
to insult
'beleidigen' and 'verunglimpfen' both have to do with derogatory statements. 'beleidigen' is more direct and can happen in a conversation: someone says something hurtful to or about a person. 'verunglimpfen' is more formal and stronger. It means deliberately presenting someone or something in a bad light, often publicly and sometimes with false statements. 'beleidigen' is more common in everyday life. 'verunglimpfen' fits better when someone's, a group's, or something's reputation is meant to be damaged.
In der Pause verunglimpft er die Kandidatin, indem er falsche Geschichten über sie erzählt.
During the break, he denigrates the candidate by telling false stories about her.
David beleidigte am Morgen seinen Freund, weil er wütend über die Absage war.
In the morning, David insulted his friend because he was angry about the cancellation.