Is 'denigrate' used for thinking lowly of oneself?

[Tan Elaine]

Can 'denigrate' be used for thinking lowly of oneself. Or should it be used for thinking lowly of other people?

For example, "He denigrates himself because he is suffering from inferiority complex."

Thanks in advance.

 

[Rover_KE]

Yes.

 

[Tan Elaine]

Can 'denigrate' be used for thinking lowly of oneself. Or should it be used for thinking lowly of other people?

For example, "He denigrates himself because he is suffering from (an) inferiority complex."

Thanks, Rover.

I wonder whether 'an' is needed after 'inferiority complex.'

 

[5jj]

I wonder whether 'an' is needed [STRIKE]after[/STRIKE] before 'inferiority complex.'

I always use 'an'.

 

[BobK]

Bear in mind that the inferiority complex would have to be extreme (pathological) for 'denigrate' to be the right word; it would involve saying (and believing) 'I am useless/a waste of space/a blot on the landscape/wicked/evil...' - 'denigration' is seriously blackening something. People who tend to 'talk themselves down'/'belittle themselves'/depreciate/under-value [exact English 'translation' of the Latinate 'depreciate' (Latin pretium = 'price')] themselves ... usually don't go so far as to denigrate themselves.



b

 

[apex2000]

May I suggest a better word could be deprecate. We tend to denigrate others, not ourselves.

 

[Vidor]

not a teacher

"Denigrate" is not used for 'thinking' of anything. Denigrate describes written or verbal communication.

 

[apex2000]

Re: not a teacher

"Denigrate" is not used for 'thinking' of anything. Denigrate describes written or verbal communication.

Denigrate is a verb. Of course we can use it in thought as presumably you have done here. You might be thinking - he deserves to be denigrated.

 

[BobK]

May I suggest a better word could be deprecate. We tend to denigrate others, not ourselves.

:up: It's a good idea to be aware of the difference between Definition of deprecate verb (NOT APPROVE) from Cambridge Dictionary Online: Free English Dictionary and Thesaurus and Definition of depreciate verb from Cambridge Dictionary Online: Free English Dictionary and Thesaurus ;-)

b

 

[apex2000]

:up: It's a good idea to be aware of the difference between Definition of deprecate verb (NOT APPROVE) from Cambridge Dictionary Online: Free English Dictionary and Thesaurus and Definition of depreciate verb from Cambridge Dictionary Online: Free English Dictionary and Thesaurus ;-)

b

Deprecate - to regret deeply; to argue or protest against; to express disapproval of; to disparage.
Chambers.

Depreciate - to lower the worth of; to undervalue.
Chambers

I used deprecate knowingly as that seemed to me to better fit the circumstances.

 

[BobK]

:up: My message was for people who weren't aware that there are two words. ;-)

b

 

[apex2000]

And I find I am often directing people to use their dictionaries.:roll::up:

 

[Vidor]

Re: not a teacher

Denigrate is a verb. Of course we can use it in thought as presumably you have done here. You might be thinking - he deserves to be denigrated.

Denigrate

1.
: to attack the reputation of : defame <denigrate one's opponents>
2
: to deny the importance or validity of : belittle <denigrate their achievements>

These are verbal actions. For that matter, they're verbal actions that require an audience. You can't "denigrate" someone in the privacy of your brain. So this

Can 'denigrate' be used for thinking lowly of oneself. Or should it be used for thinking lowly of other people?

\

is not possible.

 

[apex2000]

Are you suggesting that I cannot think 'he really does need to be denigrated'?
I am thinking a lot and in those thoughts I use all sorts of words; I may denigrate, disparage, destroy, manufacture, believe, disbelieve anything that comes to mind. None of this requires an audience - which may be just as well should I wish to avoid being sued!

 

[Vidor]

Are you suggesting that I cannot think 'he really does need to be denigrated'?
I am thinking a lot and in those thoughts I use all sorts of words; I may denigrate, disparage, destroy, manufacture, believe, disbelieve anything that comes to mind. None of this requires an audience - which may be just as well should I wish to avoid being sued!

You can think about the action of denigration just as you may think about anything else in the world. You cannot actually denigrate something unless you express that feeling externally, by word or maybe by gesture (such as a thumbs-down). So the answer to the question that started the thread

Can 'denigrate' be used for thinking lowly of oneself. Or should it be used for thinking lowly of other people?

is "no", because "denigrate" does not apply to thinking.

 

[apex2000]

Quote: "He denigrates himself because he is suffering from inferiority complex."
As I'm sure you already know denigrate is both an adj and vt. Blackened or to blacken (a reputation).

I suggested the use of deprecate because we tend to denigrate others not ourselves. Deprecate is also a vt. I do not need an audience nor do I need to speak to anyone nor put anything in writing in order to deprecate myself.

Do you imagine that it is impossible for me to attack the reputation of another in my thoughts? Or to think of denying the validity of something? Surely you can see that I must give such matters due thought before anything else. A psychiatrist would be able to tell you just how much some people turn on themselves.