What is an adjective referring to “someone who puts people down”?

Question

I was just thinking about someone I went to school with who had a penchant for putting people down, and I was trying to think of a word that describes this, but couldn’t find it. It would be a synonym of caustic, abrasive, discouraging, and undermining, but these all have slightly different connotations (to wear away", cause discouragement or to make fall). I want an adjective that has the connotation of a hammer hitting you on the head. The word does not necessarily need to describe someone who does this on purpose, out of evil intent. Is there such a word?

The word should give you a mental picture of someone barraging you with negative comments, but it not necessarily affecting you. Think of someone who so often has something negative to “contribute” that many can just either ignore it or roll their eyes at it, and that is the extent of its effect. I keep getting the mental picture of the word buffet as in, how waves buffet the shore. A constant hitting, without the hitting necessarily being devastating in its destruction.

Answer 1

Here are some more...

critical: expressing adverse or disapproving comments or judgments; marked by a tendency to find and call attention to errors and flaws.

Why Are Some People So Critical? - Harvard Business Review

negative (not encouraging or approving or pleasing) people are often wearisome to be around:

negative people are more likely to focus on and bring up the flaws in situations, or talk about things they dislike. - succeedsocially.com/negative

captious (apt to make trivial criticisms; fault-finding; carping) is a good word, connoting that it doesn't let up (the root word is the same as for capture). (carping: characterized by or inclined to petty or fussy faultfinding.)

...Shakespeare meant to say that the person [his editor] spoken to was so captious that he would let nothing pass, like a sieve of too close a fabric or texture.
...And to that end we wish'd your lordship here, T'avoid the censures of the carping world. - Shakespeare, King Richard III

Answer 2

Consider belittling

• to consider or speak of (something) as less valuable or important than it really is; disparage

• to cause to make small; dwarf

Other possibilities are

• deprecating
• disparaging
• denigrating
• derogating

SUPPLEMENT:

There are also

• contumelious
• vituperative
• invective
• vitriolic

However, each of these conveys at least a bit of abusive tone.

Answer 3

Condescending might cover it. But you can put people down in many different ways, ranging from the crude to the subtle. You can be put down by someone of no particular education or achievements who does nothing more than laugh at your accent, or make remarks about your weight, or some other perceived defect. Such a person might be called derisive or scornful. But people who are, or who think they are, more talented or knowledgeable than you in some area where you would like to excel might be called condescending or superior or patronising. Putting people down comes in many different flavours. You have to pick the word to fit the person.

Answer 4

disparaging would be the one:

disparaging dɪˈsparɪdʒɪŋ/Submit adjective 1. expressing the opinion that something is of little worth; derogatory. "disparaging remarks about council houses"

Answer 5

I've found another option:

cavil

"raise irritating and trivial objections; find fault with unnecessarily"

adjective form: "cavilling"

Answer 6

Chiding

It is a verb that can be used as an adjective (a chiding response . . .).

Similarly:

Berating.
Deriding.
Debasing.

Answer 7

I think the answer is in your question. The dude is just a huge downer.

You can also say he is a drag to be around.

If he is always saying bad things he is a killjoy too.

In the 60s-90s that person might be referred to as a party-pooper.

Now I would just say step back, hater!

There are just a ton of words to describe this guy because there are so many depressing people.

Answer 8

Hopeless, used sarcastically, as in "This guy is a hopeless case" [=nobody can do anything to help or change him).

You might also want to consider all other adjectives -- taken figuratively -- that denote an irreversible/unalterable condition, such as:

Unrecoverable

Unredeemable

Unreclaimable or Irreclaimable

Unremediable or uncurable

Unretrievable or irretrievable

Or, if you want to put the stress on the guy's constant depressing/oppressing attitude, you might want to use any of such adjectives as:

• wearisome

• troublesome

• irksome

• burdensome

• sapping

Answer 9

Toxic

Such as a parent who criticises and shames their child (a toxic parent), or an employer who blames their employees for their own failures (a toxic employer).

Really, any person who is constantly critical and just generally sucks the oxygen out of people. I've also heard the term "emotional vampire" which might apply.