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View synonyms for trivialize

trivialize

[ triv-ee-uh-lahyz ]

verb (used with object)

, triv·i·al·ized, triv·i·al·iz·ing.
  1. to make trivial; cause to appear unimportant, trifling, etc.


trivialize

/ ˈtrɪvɪəˌlaɪz /

verb

  1. tr to cause to seem trivial or more trivial; minimize

    he trivialized his injuries

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Derived Forms

  • ˌtrivialiˈzation, noun
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Other Words From

  • trivi·al·i·zation noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of trivialize1

First recorded in 1840–50; trivial + -ize
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Example Sentences

Noticeably, not only did the current chief minister of Assam not apologize for the police excesses, he in fact trivialized the deaths of Hoque and Farid, calling Hoque’s death “just 30 seconds” of a three minute video.

From Time

We try to trivialize this tendency, but it’s not a funny topic.

This decision prioritizes the needs of those who are already vaccinated or have chosen not to vaccinate, while trivializing the risk to vulnerable populations.

The good news for those who think such movies at once glorify and trivialize gun violence is that R.I.P.D. bombed.

Our intention with our new video was never to offend, hurt or trivialize Native American people, their culture or their history.

So to trivialize it, in quotation marks, really does a disservice to our show.

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More About Trivialize

What does trivialize mean?

Trivialize means to cause something to appear unimportant or insignificant, as in Gabe tried to trivialize the D he got in math, but his parents still grounded him.

Trivialize is a verb form of the adjective trivial. It’s often used by the person being trivialized, rather than by the person doing the trivializing.

Example: Do not trivialize the effort that was put into my project.

Where does trivialize come from?

The first records of the term trivialize come from the mid-1800s. It combines the term trivial, meaning “commonplace” or “unimportant,” and the suffix ize, which creates verbs with a general meaning of “to render, make,” as in actualize and Americanize. Trivial originally comes from a combination of Latin words that mean “at the street corner.”

When something is important to someone, anything that tries to lessen that importance can seem like trivializing, but trivialization is actually very deliberate and takes effort to do. When someone trivializes your efforts, for example, they usually do so by lying about something or pointing out insignificant facts that tarnish the quality or nature of your effort.

Sometimes, though, people can trivialize something without realizing it. For example, many classic Hollywood Westerns trivialize the struggles of the Native Americans. We don’t realize until later than we’ve diminished something that was important to another person.

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What are some other forms related to trivialize

  • trivialization (noun)

What are some synonyms for trivialize?

What are some words that share a root or word element with trivialize

What are some words that often get used in discussing trivialize?

How is trivialize used in real life?

Trivialize is commonly used to describe something that is dismissed as a negative.

 

 

Try using trivialize!

True or False?

Laughing at someone else’s misfortune trivializes any pain they’re feeling.

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