AskEraser  |  Settings
Ask.com   
 


Synonyms
dep·re·cate (dĕṕrĭ-kāt́)

[Latin dēprecārī, dēprecāt-, to ward off by prayer, dē-, de-, + precārī, to pray.]

transitive verb: -cat·ed, -cat·ing, -cates. 

  1. To express disapproval of; deplore.
  2. To belittle; depreciate.

derivatives

deṕre·cat́ing·ly
adverb
deṕre·cátion
noun
deṕre·cátor
noun

usage note

Usage Note: The first and fully accepted meaning of deprecate is “to express disapproval of.” But the word has steadily encroached on the meaning of depreciate. It is now used, almost to the exclusion of depreciate, in the sense “to belittle or mildly disparage,” as in He deprecated his own contribution. In an earlier survey, this newer sense was approved by a majority of the Usage Panel.