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.
"Disapprove of the president's style if you like, but don't sacrifice sound policy to pettiness."
From Salon • Nov. 12, 2018
Approve 23% Disapprove 71% Would you like to know, through genetic profiling, what harmful diseases you might suffer from later in life?
From Time Magazine Archive
Last Week January 1987 Approve 38% 26% Disapprove 43% 50% Philip Schaefer had come cross-country from San Francisco to enrich Michael Dukakis' campaign treasury.
From Time Magazine Archive
Results: Approve 42% Disapprove 46% Since March 29, 1960, the New York Times has been in deep trouble in the Deep South.
From Time Magazine Archive
Below the proposal, Krogh typed two words: Approve Disapprove.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
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.
