deplore
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
-
to express or feel sorrow about; lament; regret
-
to express or feel strong disapproval of; censure
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
deploresimple
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deploressimple
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have deploredperfect
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has deploredperfect
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am deploringprogressive
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are deploringprogressive
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is deploringprogressive
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have been deploringperfect progressive
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has been deploringperfect progressive
Past
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deploredsimple
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had deploredperfect
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was deploringprogressive
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were deploringprogressive
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had been deploringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of deplore
First recorded in 1550–60; from Latin dēplōrāre “to weep bitterly, complain,” equivalent to dē- + plōrāre “to wail”; see origin at de-
Explanation
The verb deplore is used to express strong disapproval of something. If you really, really hate the way your mom makes meatloaf, then it's safe to say you deplore it. Deplore comes from Latin roots that mean "to bewail or lament." So if you deplore something, you object to it because it brings you sorrow or grief. People often deplore things that they regret or feel bad about. You might deplore the inhumane treatment of animals or the deforestation of the Amazon. Or maybe you just deplore your wardrobe choices from middle school.
Vocabulary lists containing deplore
"Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963)
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 2
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Vocabulary from "John L. O'Sullivan on 'Manifest Destiny' " from 1839
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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.
See Examples For:
Many of the Iranian people, even those who deplore the regime, may support the home team in this fight.
From Slate ● Apr. 1, 2026
Critics deplore the fact that the undisputed growth has only benefitted a small portion of the population and has been accompanied by a spiralling cost of living.
From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2025
Downey, who plunged into tech’s moral gray zones in his “Iron Man” outings, makes it possible for an audience to both deplore McNeal and delight in the abrasive pleasure of his company.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2024
The major corporations that responded to AP’s queries said they deplore human rights violations and environmental damage and would investigate.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 20, 2024
If I found matters to criticize and to deplore, they were tendencies equally present in myself.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
Martin Bertao, president of College Republicans of America, said the organization deplores antisemitism and disputed the membership of the young man appearing to salute in the photo.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 26, 2026
The Paris Philharmonic said it had filed a complaint over the disruption, adding it "deplores and strongly condemns the serious incidents that occurred".
From Barron's ● Nov. 7, 2025
Eileen enters, greets the son she hasn’t seen in years and deplores the mess and his beard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 4, 2024
The European Parliament resolution said it "deeply deplores" this comment.
From Reuters ● Jul. 12, 2023
And, in truth, the tone is throughout that of one who rather deplores the employment of tyranny to frighten Irish Catholics out of their religion than dislikes the idea of a change of faith.
From Thomas Moore by Gwynn, Stephen Lucius
Two major Islamic bodies, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Al-Azhar, issued statements that deplored the hateful rhetoric — but without making clear who had used it.
From Salon ● Apr. 26, 2026
UN chief Antonio Guterres Saturday deplored a host of "powerful forces lining up to undermine global cooperation" in a London speech marking the 80th anniversary of the first UN General Assembly.
From Barron's ● Jan. 17, 2026
Why, he asked, is that acceptable in politics when it’s deplored in just about every other field of endeavor?
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2025
In 2024 Mr. Dawkins himself, while in no way confessing religious belief, deplored the increasing influence of Islam in British life and said he counted himself a “cultural Christian.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2025
They deplored what he’d said, but felt he had a right to express himself.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
The London university paid tribute to Zhe Wang following the verdict, deploring the loss of "a remarkable writer" adding that her work would be published posthumously in an upcoming Goldsmiths anthology.
From BBC ● Dec. 8, 2025
Americans, in the meantime, kept poking at nominally Spanish California from the sea and overland, looking for weak points and deploring what they and Europeans thought were wasted possibilities in California’s under-exploited amenities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 1, 2025
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry later issued a statement calling Paludan an “Islam-hating charlatan” and deploring the fact that he was allowed to stage the demonstration.
From Washington Times ● Jan. 27, 2023
Here is where Pence, who could have simply stopped by deploring antisemitism, ultimately falls into the same trap as his former boss.
From Slate ● Nov. 30, 2022
They write books and articles deploring it, fire off letters to the editor, and call in to radio talk shows with their criticisms and complaints.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
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.
