Standard Lemma guide

decryption

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • UK: /dɪˈkɹɪpʃən/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The process reversing an encryption; the process which converts encrypted data into its original form.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: codebreaking

Antonyms: encryption

2

noun

Meaning 2

the activity of making clear or converting from code into plain text

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a secret key or password is required for decryption

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: decoding, decipherment

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: cryptography, coding, secret writing, steganography

Narrower terms: decompression

History

Etymology

Verbal noun of decrypt, from de- + crypt (only attested in compounds, such as cryptogram) from Ancient Greek κρυπτός (kruptós, “hidden”).

Across languages

Translations

8 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: desencriptació — decoding
  • French: décryptage — decoding
  • Georgian: გაშიფვრა (gašipvra) — decoding
  • German: Entschlüsselung — decoding
  • Greek: αποκρυπτογράφηση (apokryptográfisi) — decoding
  • Indonesian: dekripsi — decoding
  • Lithuanian: iššifravimas — decoding
  • Persian: رمزگشایی (ramz-gošâyi) — decoding