Noun: denigration ,de-ni'grey-shun
- An abusive attack on a person's character or good name
"His denigration of her professional abilities was unwarranted";
- aspersion, calumny, slander, defamation
- A belittling comment
"The coach's denigration of the player's abilities hurt team morale";
- belittling
- The act of expressing disapproval (especially of yourself)
"Her denigration of her own abilities surprised her colleagues";
- deprecation
Derived forms: denigrations
Type of: attack, blast [informal], depreciation, derogation, disparagement, dispraise, fire, flack, flak [informal], stick [Brit, informal]