discredit

Plural: discredits

Noun

• the state of being held in low esteem
  • "your actions will bring discredit to your name"
• Discrediting or disbelieving.
• A person or thing that causes harm to a reputation, as of a person, family, or institution.
• The state of being discredited or disbelieved.
• A degree of dishonour or disesteem; ill repute; reproach.

Verb

• cause to be distrusted or disbelieved
  • "The paper discredited the politician with its nasty commentary"
• damage the reputation of
  • "This newspaper story discredits the politicians"
• reject as false; refuse to accept
• To harm the good reputation of (a person).
• To cause (an idea or piece of evidence) to seem false or unreliable.

Examples

• Later accounts have brought the story into discredit.
• The candidate tried to discredit his opponent.
• The evidence would tend to discredit such a theory.

Synonyms

disbelieve, disgrace, disrepute, demean, demerit, dishonour, disprove, falsify, invalidate, tell against

Antonyms

believe, repute