DEN-ih-grayt
(verb) To unfairly criticize or belittle someone or something.
His speech denigrated the work of his competitors without offering any real solutions.
Fun Fact
“Denigrate” comes from the Latin denigrare, meaning “to blacken.” It once had literal and figurative meanings, but today it’s used almost exclusively to describe verbal attacks. It’s especially common in political rhetoric and professional rivalries.
KRAY-vin
(adjective) Contemptibly lacking in courage; cowardly.
His craven refusal to stand up for his beliefs disappointed his supporters.
Middle English: from Old French “cravant” meaning “defeated or overcome,” past participle of “cravanter” meaning “to crush or overwhelm.”
Fun Fact
Craven goes beyond simple cowardice into contemptible territory—it’s cowardice that deserves scorn. Medieval knights accused of craven behavior faced public humiliation and loss of honor. The word originally described someone completely defeated or crushed in battle, and that sense of total collapse remains. In Shakespeare’s hands, craven became the ultimate insult for warriors who fled rather than fought. Modern usage preserves that moral judgment: calling someone craven suggests not just fear but shameful abdication of duty or principle when courage was required.
Today's Word Multitudinous mul-tih-TOO-dih-nus Definition (adjective) Very numerous; existing in...
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