Standard Lemma guide

deprecate

verb · 7 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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈdɛpɹɪkeɪt/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈdɛpɹəkeɪt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈdɛp.rɪˌkeɪt/
  • CMU ARPABET: D EH1 P R AH0 K EY2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To express disapproval of, protest or plead against.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • They deprecated the attempt to deny aid to homeless people.
  • She deprecated any action which might disturb the peace.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: disparage, denounce, admonish, animadvert, bash, bawl out, slash, lash, blame, scorch, blast, berate, berisp, castigate, censure, charge, chastise, chew out, chide, condemn, criticize, denunciate, deprecate, derogate, dispraise, drag, dress down, eat someone alive, excoriate, find fault, fulminate, get at, get down, get up, give somebody a piece of one's mind, give somebody what-for, inveigh, lace into, lambaste, lay into, lecture, light into, objurgate, pooh-pooh, put someone on blast, rate, read somebody the riot act, rebuke, reprehend, reprimand, reproach, reprove, rip into, rubbish, savage, scold, skewer, slam, slate, tear into, tell off, threap, tick off, tosh, keelhaul, upbraid, vilify, vituperate

Antonyms: recommend, endorse

2

verb

Meaning 2

To belittle, depreciate.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • He deprecates any praise of his own merits.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: deprecate, disparage, make light of, bagatellize, banalize, belittle, cut down, de-emphasize, denigrate, degrade, derogate, dispraise, downplay, lilliputianize, make little of, make nothing of, minimize, play down, set at nought, superficialize, trivialize, underestimate, underplay, understate, vilipend

Antonyms: praise, commend, big up, cut it fat, exaggerate, hyperbolize, overcharge, overdo, overemphasize, overstate, play up, stretch, three-sheet, aggrandize, applaud, enthrone, appraise, belaud, bepraise, cry up, eulogize, exalt, extol, glorify, honor, idolize, laud, lionize, magnify, panegyrize, puff, revere, speak well of, transfigure, venerate, worthy

3

verb

Meaning 3

To declare something obsolescent; to recommend against a function, technique, command, etc. that still works but has been replaced.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

Examples

  • The 'bold' tag has been deprecated in favour of the 'strong' tag.
  • It is still supported but strongly deprecated.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: disrecommend, unprescribe

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To pray against.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To regret deeply.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: repent, rue, afterthink, becry, begrieve, bemoan, bemourn, bewail, beweep, condole, deplore, elegize, grieve, grieven, keen, lament, mean, mourn, pine, sigh, sorrow, wail, wayment

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

belittle

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The teacher should not deprecate his student's efforts

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: depreciate, vilipend

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: disparage, belittle, pick at

Narrower terms: deflate, puncture

7

verb

Meaning 7

express strong disapproval of; deplore

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: disapprove, reject

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin dēprecātus, perfect active participle of dēprecor (“to pray against (a present or impending evil) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), pray for, intercede for (that which is in danger), rarely imprecate”), from dē- (“off”) + precor (“to pray”).

Across languages

Translations

83 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: не одобря́вам (ne odobrjávam) — express disapproval of
  • Chinese Mandarin: 反對 /反对 (fǎnduì) — express disapproval of
  • Chinese Mandarin: 抗議 /抗议 (kàngyì) — express disapproval of
  • Czech: neschvalovat — express disapproval of
  • Czech: zavrhovat — express disapproval of
  • Czech: odmítat — express disapproval of
  • Czech: nesouhlasit — express disapproval of
  • Dutch: afkeuren — express disapproval of
  • Finnish: tuomita — express disapproval of
  • Finnish: paheksua — express disapproval of
  • Finnish: väheksyä — express disapproval of
  • Finnish: vähätellä — express disapproval of
  • French: désapprouver de — express disapproval of
  • Galician: deprezar — express disapproval of
  • Galician: reprobar — express disapproval of
  • Galician: desvaler — express disapproval of
  • German: ablehnen — express disapproval of
  • German: missbilligen — express disapproval of
  • German: nicht gutheißen — express disapproval of
  • Hungarian: helytelenít — express disapproval of
  • Hungarian: elítél — express disapproval of
  • Hungarian: rosszall — express disapproval of
  • Ido: desaprobar — express disapproval of
  • Italian: deprecare — express disapproval of
  • Japanese: 非難する (hinan suru) — express disapproval of
  • Portuguese: depreciar — express disapproval of
  • Russian: возража́ть (vozražátʹ) — express disapproval of
  • Russian: возрази́ть (vozrazítʹ) — express disapproval of
  • Russian: протестова́ть (protestovátʹ) — express disapproval of
  • Russian: выступа́ть про́тив (vystupátʹ prótiv) — express disapproval of
  • Russian: ре́зко осужда́ть (rézko osuždátʹ) — express disapproval of
  • Russian: не одобря́ть (ne odobrjátʹ) — express disapproval of
  • Swedish: avråda — express disapproval of
  • Swedish: avstyrka — express disapproval of
  • Swedish: avsvära — express disapproval of
  • Chinese Mandarin: 貶低 /贬低 (biǎndī) — belittle
  • Chinese Mandarin: 輕視 /轻视 (qīngshì) — belittle
  • Czech: snižovat — belittle
  • Czech: znevažovat — belittle
  • Finnish: vähätellä — belittle
  • Chinese Mandarin: 棄用 /弃用 (qìyòng) — declare obsolescent
  • Chinese Mandarin: 淘汰 (táotài) — declare obsolescent
  • Dutch: als verouderd verklaren — declare obsolescent
  • Finnish: merkitä vanhentuneeksi — declare obsolescent
  • Finnish: poistaa käytöstä — declare obsolescent
  • Galician: refugar — declare obsolescent
  • Galician: desbotar — declare obsolescent
  • Galician: aviltar — declare obsolescent
  • Galician: apouvigar — declare obsolescent
  • Galician: estoxar — declare obsolescent
  • German: als überholt einstufen — declare obsolescent
  • German: als veraltet einstufen — declare obsolescent
  • Hebrew: הכריז כמיושן (hikhríz kimyushán) — declare obsolescent
  • Hungarian: elavultnak minősít — declare obsolescent
  • Japanese: 終了する (shūryō suru) — declare obsolescent
  • Norwegian: utdatere — declare obsolescent
  • Polish: dezaktualizować — declare obsolescent
  • Polish: zdezaktualizować — declare obsolescent
  • Polish: unieważniać — declare obsolescent
  • Polish: unieważnić — declare obsolescent
  • Portuguese: descontinuar — declare obsolescent
  • Russian: приостана́вливать (priostanávlivatʹ) — declare obsolescent
  • Russian: приостанови́ть (priostanovítʹ) — declare obsolescent
  • Russian: прекраща́ть (prekraščátʹ) — declare obsolescent
  • Russian: прекрати́ть (prekratítʹ) — declare obsolescent
  • Swedish: avråda — declare obsolescent
  • Chinese Mandarin: 祈禱反對 /祈祷反对 (qídǎo fǎnduì) — pray against
  • Finnish: rukoilla vastaan — pray against
  • Galician: abafallar — pray against
  • Galician: desgabar — pray against
  • Galician: aviltar — pray against
  • Galician: deslouvar — pray against
  • Galician: alrotar — pray against
  • Galician: bafar — pray against
  • Galician: aldraxar — pray against
  • German: beten dagegen — pray against
  • Spanish: deprecar — pray against
  • Swedish: avsäga — pray against
  • Swedish: avsvära — pray against
  • Swedish: ta avstånd från — pray against
  • Chinese Mandarin: 深感遺憾 /深感遗憾 (shēngǎn yíhàn) — regret deeply
  • Chinese Mandarin: 深深後悔 /深深后悔 (shēnshēn hòuhuǐ) — regret deeply
  • Finnish: katua syvästi — regret deeply