decry
Americanverb (used with object)
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to speak disparagingly of; denounce as faulty or worthless; express censure of.
She decried the lack of support for the arts in this country.
- Synonyms:
- minimize, depreciate, discredit, disparage, belittle
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to condemn or depreciate by proclamation, as foreign or obsolete coins.
verb
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to express open disapproval of; disparage
-
to depreciate by proclamation
to decry obsolete coinage
Related Words
Decry, denigrate, deprecate, derogate all involve the expression of censure or disapproval. Decry means to express one's vigorous disapproval of or to denounce: to decry all forms of discrimination. Denigrate means to speak damagingly of, to criticize in derogative terms: denigrating his works as trifling and poorly executed. Deprecate implies the expression of earnest, thoughtful disapproval: to deprecate a plan because of possible environmental damage. Derogate means to speak in such a way as to decrease the status, high quality, or good reputation of someone or something, making the person or object seem of less value: Fear of change makes them derogate every proposal put forth.
Other Word Forms
- decrial noun
- decrier noun
- undecried adjective
Etymology
Origin of decry
1610–20; < French décrier, Old French descrier. See dis- 1, cry
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.
Water quality should be "maintained and not decried" and biodiversity "improved", he adds.
From BBC
Some decried their use as a way for biochemical companies to make money; others declared that GMOs would save the world from famine and food insecurity.
From Literature
Malinche’s portrayal as a valiant Cortés enabler doesn’t seem to bother audiences, though some decry the work’s pro-Spanish take on the Conquest.
From Los Angeles Times
If memory serves, a 50% score in elementary school earns an F. Celebrating results that are slightly better than awful is a capitulation to the bigotry of low expectations Mr. Emanuel decries.
The authors of the analysis decried a lack of articles on topics such as ingenuity in the U.S., why Americans have won many Nobel Prizes or landed people on the moon.
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.
