Word: discredit (verb)

Associations

"Discredit" means to harm the good reputation of someone or something, or to make people stop believing in the truth or value of something.

• "The scandal discredited the politician." Here, it means the politician's reputation became bad.
• "The new evidence discredits the old theory." This means the new evidence makes people doubt the old theory.
• "She tried to discredit his work by pointing out mistakes." This means she tried to make his work seem less trustworthy. A synonym is "dishonor," but "discredit" often focuses more on making people lose trust or belief, while "dishonor" is more about shame or disrespect.

Substitution

Instead of "discredit," you can use:

• "disprove" – but this is more about showing something is false, not about reputation.
• "undermine" – this means to weaken trust or confidence gradually.
• "damage reputation" – a phrase that explains the effect more clearly. Using these changes the meaning slightly, focusing more on truth or reputation.

Deconstruction

"Discredit" comes from:

• Prefix "dis-" meaning "not" or "opposite of."
• Root "credit" meaning "belief," "trust," or "reputation." So, "discredit" literally means "to take away trust or belief."

Inquiry

• Can you think of a situation where someone might try to discredit a competitor?
• How does discrediting someone affect their personal or professional life?
• Have you ever experienced or seen something being discredited? How did it feel?