Word
discredit
Phoneticsdis·cred·it, stress on the second syllable
US/dɪsˈkɹɛdət/
UK/dɪskɹˈɛdɪt/
Definitions
01to damage a reputation
C1 · Advanced Formal
v. to make people lose respect for someone by showing they are not honest or reliable.
v. to damage the reputation of a person or institution by exposing flaws or dishonesty. Transitive; requires a direct object.
“The politician's enemies tried to discredit him by leaking old emails to the press.”
“The opposition party launched a coordinated campaign to discredit the prime minister, hoping to erode public trust before the upcoming election.”
02to prove an idea false
C1 · Advanced Academic · Formal
v. to show that an idea, theory, or piece of evidence is not true or cannot be trusted.
v. to cause a theory, claim, or piece of evidence to appear false or unreliable through counter-evidence or logical refutation.
“New scientific evidence has completely discredited the old theory about how the disease spreads.”
“The defence attorney successfully discredited the witness's testimony by proving she was not actually at the scene of the crime.”
Synonyms
03loss of respect
C1 · Advanced Uncountable noun Formal
n. the loss of a good reputation or the state of being seen as dishonest.
n. the state of being disbelieved or having a damaged reputation; a source of dishonour.
“His rude behaviour at the ceremony brought discredit on his entire family.”
“The scandal brought great discredit upon the university's research department, leading to a loss of several major grants.”
Usage
The verb is transitive and takes a direct object, typically a person, a theory, or a claim.
Pitfall
The scandal discredited to the politician.
The scandal discredited the politician.
Discredit is a transitive verb and does not take the preposition 'to' before its object.
Real-World Examples
“Such efforts to discredit policies aimed at supporting autistic people, and those from ethnic minorities, to achieve their full potential must be strenuously resisted.” “I don’t want to do pop culture a discredit by being like, “It’s all vapid”, because it’s not.” Etymology
From dis- + credit.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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