depreciatory

Also de·pre·ci·a·tive

[dih-pree-shee-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee, -pree-shuh-]

adjective

1. tending to depreciate.

Other Word Forms

• depreciatively adverb
• nondepreciative adjective
• nondepreciatively adverb
• nondepreciatory adjective
• undepreciative adjective
• undepreciatory adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of depreciatory¹

First recorded in 1795–1805; depreciate + -ory ¹

Example Sentences

Any depreciatory anecdotes would be very telling, and serve to evoke indignant free replies from those who wouldn't guess they were jumping to a prepared bait.

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To make little or less in a moral sense; to speak of in a depreciatory or contemptuous way.

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He limped along a pace or so behind, making depreciatory noises in response to these flattering remarks and taking stock of the very appreciative person who uttered them.

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Perhaps political party is more universal than any other bad influence without, in misguiding Englishmen into ill-natured, or contemptuous, or depreciatory judgments of their neighbours and fellow-townsmen.

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His adjective "little" was not depreciatory; Malachi Hill was, in fact, short.

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