deplorable

[dih-plawr-uh-buh l, -plohr-]

See more synonyms for deplorable on Thesaurus.com

adjective

causing or being a subject for grief or regret; lamentable: the deplorable death of a friend.
causing or being a subject for censure, reproach, or disapproval; wretched; very bad: This room is in deplorable order. You have deplorable manners!

Origin of deplorable

1605–15; < French déplorable < Middle French, equivalent to deplor(er) (see deplore) + -able -able

Related formsde·plor·a·ble·ness, de·plor·a·bil·i·ty, nounde·plor·a·bly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for deplorable

Contemporary Examples

It is too late to help those who were killed by ISIS, but those who escaped and survived are living in deplorable conditions.
Obama Went to War to Save Them, But They Can’t Get U.S. Visas
Christine van den Toorn, Sherizaan Minwalla
September 28, 2014
The state of childcare in this nation goes from inadequate to deplorable, even as compared to the child care centers of the 1940s.
Whither the Women’s Movement?
Judith Barnett
July 19, 2014
FCC chairman Michael Powell deemed it “classless, crass and deplorable.”
Super Bowl’s ‘Nipplegate’ Fiasco 10 Years Later: The Pop Diva, the Boob, and the Outrage
Marlow Stern
February 1, 2014
If reports are correct, Iranian nuclear facilities continue their deplorable habit of suddenly blowing up.
Iranian Nuclear Facilities Keep Exploding!
David Frum
January 28, 2013
And the worst example is the expensive and deplorable Senate race in Massachusetts.
Scott Brown-Elizabeth Warren Contest in Massachusetts: Ugliest Senate Race
Matt Latimer
September 28, 2012

Historical Examples

This idea of Egyptian morals was no doubt correct, but how deplorable!
Female Scripture Biographies, Vol. I
Francis Augustus Cox
She told her of her tears, entreated her not to renew her own deplorable career.
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola
Its deplorable peculiarity was, that it was the faintness of solitude and disuse.
A Tale of Two Cities
Charles Dickens
They had no thought of abandoning any of their pursuits or pleasures, be they never so deplorable.
The Law-Breakers
Ridgwell Cullum
She refused to say how she came to be in so deplorable a situation, and took her leave.
Beaux and Belles of England
Mary Robinson

British Dictionary definitions for deplorable

deplorable

adjective

lamentablea deplorable lack of taste
worthy of censure or reproach; very baddeplorable behaviour

Derived Formsdeplorableness or deplorability, noundeplorably, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for deplorable

adj.

1610s; see deplore + -able. Perhaps from French déplorable or directly from Late Latin deplorabilis. Johnson (mid-18c.) noted the weakened colloquial use of the word for "very bad." Related: Deplorably.

deplorable

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}deplorable

Examples from the Web for deplorable

Contemporary Examples

It is too late to help those who were killed by ISIS, but those who escaped and survived are living in deplorable conditions.

The state of childcare in this nation goes from inadequate to deplorable, even as compared to the child care centers of the 1940s.

FCC chairman Michael Powell deemed it “classless, crass and deplorable.”

If reports are correct, Iranian nuclear facilities continue their deplorable habit of suddenly blowing up.

And the worst example is the expensive and deplorable Senate race in Massachusetts.

Historical Examples

This idea of Egyptian morals was no doubt correct, but how deplorable!

She told her of her tears, entreated her not to renew her own deplorable career.

Its deplorable peculiarity was, that it was the faintness of solitude and disuse.

They had no thought of abandoning any of their pursuits or pleasures, be they never so deplorable.

She refused to say how she came to be in so deplorable a situation, and took her leave.

deplorable

Word Origin and History for deplorable

adj.

Origin of deplorable