depreciate
Americanverb (used with object)
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depreciates,
present (3rd person singular)
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depreciated,
past participle, past
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depreciating
present participle
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to reduce the purchasing value of (money).
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to lessen the value or price of.
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to claim depreciation on (a property) for tax purposes.
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to represent as of little value or merit; belittle.
verb (used without object)
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depreciates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
depreciated,
past participle, past
-
depreciating
present participle
verb
-
to reduce or decline in value or price
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(tr) to lessen the value of by derision, criticism, etc; disparage
Commonly Confused
See deprecate
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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depreciatornoun
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predepreciateverb
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redepreciateverb
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underdepreciateverb (used with object)
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depreciatoryadjective
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nondepreciatingadjective
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undepreciatedadjective
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depreciatinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
depreciatesimple
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depreciatessimple
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have depreciatedperfect
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has depreciatedperfect
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am depreciatingprogressive
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are depreciatingprogressive
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is depreciatingprogressive
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have been depreciatingperfect progressive
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has been depreciatingperfect progressive
Past
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depreciatedsimple
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had depreciatedperfect
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was depreciatingprogressive
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were depreciatingprogressive
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had been depreciatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of depreciate
First recorded in 1640–50; from Late Latin dēpretiātus “undervalued” (past participle of dēpretiāre; in Medieval Latin spelling dēpreciāre ), equivalent to Latin dē- “away from, out of” + preti(um) “price” + -ātus past participle suffix; see de-, price, -ate 1
Explanation
Something depreciates when it loses value. If you bought shares of a company for $10 each a year ago and now they’re worth $1 each, guess what: they have depreciated. One of the most frustrating things about buying a car is the way it loses value. As soon as you drive it off the lot, your new car has already depreciated by several thousand dollars. Though usually used like this as a financial term, depreciate can also be used as the similar-sounding but unrelated word deprecate meaning "to belittle, lower in esteem." Your teachers should not depreciate you just because you don't always know the answers to their questions!
Vocabulary lists containing depreciate
"The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry
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"The Gift of the Magi"
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How Low Can You Go? Synonyms for "Downward"
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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:
It warned against "acts that tend to depreciate or impair the national currency, including any conduct that undermines its lawful value or use".
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
It is accounting policy to depreciate infrastructure and recognize other operating costs related to scaling new clusters when it starts provisioning the equipment, incurring expenses before the assets are handed over to a customer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
The cost of maintaining military superiority is rising as technological innovation accelerates, even as traditional military capital like tanks, ships, and aircraft become more vulnerable and depreciate faster.
From Barron's ● Apr. 27, 2026
Electric vehicles depreciate in value faster than traditional cars, meaning buyers can get a good deal on a used EV that hasn’t been on the road for long.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026
Minify, min′i-fī, v.t. to make little or less: to depreciate.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various
Remolona pointed to prior episodes where the peso depreciates sharply just as oil prices surged, fueling inflation and prompting the BSP to step in.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 24, 2026
A car’s value, meanwhile, depreciates over time, so the borrower runs a risk of becoming “upside down” on the loan, or owing more than the car is worth.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2025
Amounts owed to boxers do not gain interest or adjust for inflation once a fighter is eligible at age 50, meaning the value depreciates over time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 28, 2023
If the rupee depreciates, fuel costs more, with knock-on effects for goods that are transported or manufactured.
From BBC ● Feb. 9, 2023
He who depreciates himself is not disposed to turn what there is in him to account.
From Elements of Morals With Special Application of the Moral Law to the Duties of the Individual and of Society and the State by Paul Janet
The Reserve Bank of India unveiled several measures over the weekend to arrest a slide in the rupee, which has depreciated about 6.5% against the dollar this year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
The yen depreciated about 15% against the dollar over the past four years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
This means that if a homeowner needs a new roof, the insurer only covers the depreciated value of the roof rather than the entire replacement cost.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 26, 2026
Having sat unused in a police yard for over three years, it will have depreciated sharply - perhaps to less than half its original price.
From BBC ● May 26, 2026
Continental money had so depreciated that forty dollars were scarcely equal in value to one silver dollar.
From Famous American Statesmen by Sarah Knowles Bolton
The strait won’t be worthless, but it’s a depreciating asset.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
On balance, Gave is minded to forecast the yen’s depreciating days may be ending.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
Buying equity stakes rather than owning depreciating fleets softens that, but the line between “demand layer” and “co-investor in hardware” thins with each deal.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 24, 2026
If the tax turns these high-priced apartments into depreciating assets, prices of smaller apartments will have to rise to make up for it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
A flush of crimson crept modestly to her cheeks, and she made a depreciating moue.”
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
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.
