deplore
[dih-plawr, -plohr]
- to regret deeply or strongly; lament: to deplore the present state of morality.
- to disapprove of; censure.
- to feel or express deep grief for or in regard to: The class deplored the death of their teacher.
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Origin of deplore
1550–60; < Latin dēplōrāre to weep bitterly, complain, equivalent to dē- de- + plōrāre to wail, probably of imitative orig.
Synonyms
See more synonyms for deplore on Thesaurus.com1. bemoan, bewail. 3. mourn.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for deplore
Contemporary Examples
I deplore the lawlessness that seems to be sweeping the West Bank with price-tags and land-grabs galore.
They are about to see what we so often deplore as mere sausage-making, and they will love it.
It quickly came to mean, to deplore or to disapprove in an especially morally laden way.
I'm about to quote something pretty deplorable, but not in order to deplore it.
President Obama may deplore that trend, but he seems to have no very clear idea of how to alter it.
Historical Examples
Far be it from her to laugh at those follies which she must for ever deplore!
Tales And Novels, Volume 3 (of 10)Maria Edgeworth
I confess I have much to deplore, and much for which to be thankful.
Cleveland Past and PresentMaurice Joblin
We may deplore it, but we can not wonder, and we can not sternly blame.
King PhilipJohn S. C. (John Stevens Cabot) Abbott
I reprove it in the sternest terms, and I deplore the consequences it had.
The SnareRafael Sabatini
"I deplore I had so little share in the fight," he muttered.
St. Martin's SummerRafael Sabatini
deplore
- to express or feel sorrow about; lament; regret
- to express or feel strong disapproval of; censure
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Word Origin
C16: from Old French deplorer, from Latin dēplōrāre to weep bitterly, from plōrāre to weep, lament
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 deplore
v.
1550s, "to give up as hopeless," from French déplorer (13c.), from Latin deplorare "deplore, bewail, lament, give up for lost," from de- "entirely" (see de-) + plorare "weep, cry out." Meaning "to regret deeply" is from 1560s. Related: Deplored; deploring.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper