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Belittle vs Dwarf - What's the difference?

belittle | dwarf |

As verbs the difference between belittle and dwarf

is that belittle is to knowingly say that something is smaller or less important than it actually is while dwarf is to render (much) smaller, turn into a dwarf (version).

As a noun dwarf is

(mythology) any member of a race of beings from (especially scandinavian and other germanic) folklore, usually depicted as having some sort of supernatural powers and being skilled in crafting and metalworking, often depicted as short, and sometimes depicted as clashing with elves.

As an adjective dwarf is

.

belittle

English

Verb

(belittl)
  • To knowingly say that something is smaller or less important than it actually is.
  • * {{quote-book, year=2006
    • , author=Mark Steyn , title=America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It , chapter=9 , isbn=0895260786 , page=201 , passage=Under the rules as understood by the New York Times'', the West is free to mock and belittle''' its Judeo-Christian inheritance, and, likewise, the Muslim world is free to mock and ' belittle the West's Judeo-Christian inheritance.}}

    Related terms

    * belittlement

    See also

    * disparage * denigrate * vilipend

    dwarf

    English

    Noun

    (en-noun)
  • (mythology) Any member of a race of beings from (especially Scandinavian and other Germanic) folklore, usually depicted as having some sort of supernatural powers and being skilled in crafting and metalworking, often depicted as short, and sometimes depicted as clashing with elves.
  • A person of short stature, often one whose limbs are disproportionately small in relation to the body as compared with normal adults, usually as the result of a genetic condition.
  • An animal, plant or other thing much smaller than the usual of its sort.
    • dwarf''' tree; '''dwarf honeysuckle
  • (star) A star of relatively small size.

    • Usage notes

    At first, dwarfs'' was the more common plural in English. After used ''dwarves'', it began to rise in popularity, and is now about as common as ''dwarfs .

    Synonyms

    * (person) midget, pygmy (imprecise)

    Antonyms

    * giant * ettin

    Derived terms

    (term derived from dwarf) * dwarf star * black dwarf * brown dwarf * red dwarf * white dwarf * dwarfen, dwarven * dwarfess * dwarfify * dwarfism * dwarfish, dwarvish * dwarfling * dwarfness

    Adjective

    (-)
  • .
    • The specimen is a very dwarf form of the plant.
    It is possible to grow the plants as dwarf as one desires.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To render (much) smaller, turn into a dwarf (version).
  • To make appear (much) smaller, puny, tiny.
  • * {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=May-June, author=Kevin Heng
    • , title= Why Does Nature Form Exoplanets Easily? , volume=101, issue=3, page=184, magazine=(American Scientist) , passage=In the past two years, NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope has located nearly 3,000 exoplanet candidates ranging from sub-Earth-sized minions to gas giants that dwarf our own Jupiter.}}
  • To make appear insignificant.
  • To become (much) smaller.
  • To hinder from growing to the natural size; to make or keep small; to stunt.
    • (Addison)
  • * J. C. Shairp
    • Even the most common moral ideas and affections would be stunted and dwarfed , if cut off from a spiritual background.

    Synonyms

    * (make much smaller) miniaturize, shrink * (become much smaller) shrink