disapprove
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
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to consider wrong, bad, etc
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(tr) to withhold approval from
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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disapprovesimple
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disapprovessimple
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have disapprovedperfect
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has disapprovedperfect
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am disapprovingprogressive
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are disapprovingprogressive
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is disapprovingprogressive
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have been disapprovingperfect progressive
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has been disapprovingperfect progressive
Past
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disapprovedsimple
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had disapprovedperfect
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was disapprovingprogressive
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were disapprovingprogressive
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had been disapprovingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of disapprove
Explanation
To disapprove is to object to something, or frown on it. Your parents, worried about head injuries, might disapprove of your joining the football team. You can say that you disapprove of violence in movies and video games, or that you disapprove of censorship of any kind. Almost everyone disapproves of things like drunk driving or being cruel to animals. In all of these examples, to disapprove is to believe something is wrong or bad. Originally, in the 15th century, the word meant "disprove," but by the mid-1600s the meaning shifted to "the reverse of approve."
Vocabulary lists containing disapprove
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Eighty-seven percent of Peruvians disapprove of the legislature, according to an Ipsos poll.
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026
According to the survey, 41% approve of his work, compared with 29% who disapprove.
From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026
It’s not as if voters can go to the voting booth and show that they disapprove of this.
From Slate • May 7, 2026
Twenty-six percent of Americans who voted for him in 2024 disapprove of how he’s handling the war in Iran, as do 29% of Republicans, according to a Fox News survey in late March.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026
And now she was back to fretting about my running around with boys, worrying that Ba would somehow find out and disapprove, doubting that I could snag a boy like James.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
