Words / C1

dis-KRED-it/dɪsˈkredɪt/

To discredit is to harm a reputation or to make an idea seem untrue: discredit a witness, discredit a theory. Undermine is a cousin; refute attacks the argument with evidence; praise sits opposite. An empty n harms the paper faster than a beige cover.

Meaning

To harm someone’s reputation, or to make an idea seem untrue or unreliable.

Examples

• “An empty n cell will discredit the paper faster than a plain cover.”
• “Undermine is a cousin. Smear is dirty politics. Refute needs counter-evidence. Design is taste. A missing count is a methods failure. Repair the cell; leave the cover for the art meeting.”

Good to know

Damage reputation or believability. Close: undermine. Contrast: refute (with evidence). A plain cover is not the scandal.

Near in meaning

undermine

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