Discredit
/dɪsˈkrɛdɪt/
verbnounB2
Definition
Discredit means to make people stop believing in someone or something, often by showing they are not true or honest. As a verb, it is the action of damaging someone's reputation or the truth of an idea. As a noun, it refers to the state of being not trusted or respected.
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See It in Action
Verb: To harm the reputation or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing
- •The politician tried to discredit his opponent with false accusations.
- •The report discredited the theory that the product was safe.
- •She was discredited after the scandal became public.
Noun: The loss of trust or respect
- •The scandal brought discredit to the company.
- •His actions caused discredit among his colleagues.
- •The scientist's mistake led to discredit in the research community.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "discredit" like "not believe," but stronger because it means to make others stop trusting completely.
- ✓Picture a person standing on a stage, but suddenly the lights go off and people stop clapping—this shows loss of respect.
- ✓It's the feeling when you hear a rumor that makes you doubt a friend you trusted before.
- ✓Sounds like "this credit" → imagine someone taking away your "credit" (trust or value) so you have none left.
- ✓In stories, villains try to discredit heroes by telling lies to make others doubt them.
- ✓NOT like "ignore" (just not paying attention), discredit means actively making people doubt or lose trust.
- ✓NOT like "criticize" (point out faults), discredit means to harm the whole trust or belief, not just comment on mistakes.
- ✓Discredit can be caused by others (telling lies) or by facts that show something is false.
Try Other Words
- •Disprove: to show that something is not true (Use when focusing on proving something wrong, not just damaging reputation)
- •Damage reputation: to harm how people think about someone (Use when talking about personal or public image)
- •Undermine: to weaken trust or power slowly (Use when the loss of trust happens gradually)
- •Invalidate: to show that something is not valid or true (Use when focusing on facts or ideas being false)
Unboxing
- •Prefix "dis-" means "not" or "opposite of"
- •Root "credit" means "trust" or "belief"
- •From Latin "discreditare," meaning "to distrust" or "to not believe"
- •First used in English around the 15th century to mean loss of trust or respect
- •Today used both as verb (to cause loss of trust) and noun (the state of lost trust)
Reflect & Connect
•How can discrediting someone affect their personal and professional life differently?
•Can discredit be repaired once it happens? What actions might help restore trust?
Fill in the blanks
1.People tried to discredit the scientist’s work by showing ___ in his experiments.
2.When a company is discredited, customers often ___ their products or services.
3.Unlike simple criticism, discredit means to ___ the whole trust or belief in a person or idea.
4.The politician attempted to discredit his opponent by spreading ___ information.
5.Discredit often happens when new facts ___ previous claims or stories.
6.If someone is discredited, their reputation is ___ or lost.
7.To avoid being discredited, it is important to provide ___ evidence and honest information.