deprecate

American  

[dep-ri-keyt] / ˈdɛp rɪˌkeɪt /

verb (used with object)

deprecated, deprecating

1. to express earnest disapproval of.

   The physician’s committee moved to deprecate the standard American diet.

   Synonyms:

   minimize, decry, disparage, denounce, condemn

2. to urge reasons against; protest against (a scheme, purpose, etc.).

3. to depreciate; belittle.

   How can companies redress the experiences of marginalized team members whose voices are being deprecated in the workplace?

4. Computers. to cease supporting or recommending the use of (older elements, features, or versions of software).

   The publisher deprecates products after five years or if more than two more recent versions are available.

5. Archaic. to pray for deliverance from.

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deprecate British  

/ ˈdɛprɪˌkeɪt /

verb

1. to express disapproval of; protest against

2. to depreciate (a person, someone's character, etc); belittle

3. archaic to try to ward off by prayer

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Commonly Confused

See depreciate

Related Words

See decry.

Other Word Forms

• deprecating adjective
• deprecatingly adverb
• deprecation noun
• deprecative adjective
• deprecatively adverb
• deprecator noun
• half-deprecating adjective
• half-deprecatingly adverb
• nondeprecating adjective
• nondeprecatingly adverb
• undeprecating adjective
• undeprecatingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of deprecate

First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin dēprecātus “prayed against, warded off” (past participle of dēprecārī ), equivalent to dē- “away from, out of“ + precārī “to pray” + -ātus past participle suffix; de-, pray, -ate ¹

Example Sentences

“I therefore deprecate attempts to expound Wittgenstein’s thought as a finished thing.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 18, 2025

A lot of people don’t know that world, so I’m going to have to introduce myself to them and then self-deprecate enough to earn the opportunity to then deprecate them.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 2, 2025

This word is imprecise and is used universally to deprecate the person or group described.

From Washington Post • Feb. 10, 2023

It’s a big lift, though: Consumers have Netflix and Facebook at their fingertips, and newsrooms that were cut in half are pivoting online and relying on digital metrics that deprecate routine civic coverage.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 29, 2021

Because Eleanor has forgiven much, thou thinkest thyself secure; but if this last is not the coup de grâce in thy catalogue of contumacious infamies we shall be inclined to deprecate Eleanor's leniency.

From Fern Vale (Volume 3) or the Queensland Squatter by Munro, Colin