Synonyms

depreciate

American

[dih-pree-shee-eyt] / dɪˈpri ʃiˌeɪt /

verb (used with object)

to reduce the purchasing value of (money).
to lessen the value or price of.
to claim depreciation on (a property) for tax purposes.
to represent as of little value or merit; belittle.

Synonyms:

minimize, decry, disparage

verb (used without object)

to decline in value.

depreciate British

/ dɪˈpriːʃɪətərɪ, -trɪ, dɪˈpriːʃɪˌeɪt /

verb

to reduce or decline in value or price
(tr) to lessen the value of by derision, criticism, etc; disparage

"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

Commonly Confused

See deprecate

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Present

Past

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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!

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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:

depreciate depreciates depreciated depreciating

The amount actually recovered in cases like this often falls well short of the amount embezzled - especially if the money has been spent on consumables, holidays, and luxury goods that depreciate.

From BBC ● May 26, 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

And they buy their baby stuff secondhand, as these goods depreciate faster than clothing, cars and electronics, they note.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 14, 2026

"What is that?" said Kate, very much as if she were prepared to depreciate it before she knew what it was.

From The New Rector by Stanley John Weyman

They note that if the won depreciates by 1%, Hyundai’s annual operating profit would increase by 2%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 11, 2025

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

A replacement battery for a Tesla Model 3 can cost up to $20,000, for a vehicle that retails at around $43,000 but depreciates quickly over time.

From Reuters ● Mar. 20, 2023

If the rupee depreciates, fuel costs more, with knock-on effects for goods that are transported or manufactured.

From BBC ● Feb. 9, 2023

Whatever depreciates abilities or discourages enterprise diminishes land value.

From Rural Health and Welfare by George Thompson Fairchild

Yet the drag on the bottom line ceases after chips are fully depreciated.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

According to his calculations, the Indian rupee has depreciated by between 35% and 47% against the currencies of major study destinations since 2019.

From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026

The won has depreciated almost 6% against the dollar this year, despite similar yields BX:AMBMKKR-10Y, lower inflation, a huge current account surplus and record exports.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 9, 2026

Since the crisis erupted, the interest rates at which Romania borrows have risen, and the lei currency has depreciated against the euro, which reached an all-time high of 5.21 Romanian lei on Tuesday.

From Barron's ● May 5, 2026

Their pay is eighty piastres a month, with rations of bread for themselves and of barley for their animals, but the pay is often nine months in arrear, or they receive it in depreciated paper.

From Journeys in Persia and Kurdistan, Volume II (of 2) Including a Summer in the Upper Karun Region and a Visit to the Nestorian Rayahs by Isabella L. (Isabella Lucy) Bird

Companies selling each other lots of AI gear but depreciating it slowly is another temporary accounting boost.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026

The most valuable asset you have now is time — and that is a depreciating asset for all of us.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 19, 2026

The most valuable asset you have now is time — and that’s a depreciating asset for all of us.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 19, 2026

The current wave of protests began after shopkeepers in Tehran went on strike over the rising cost of living and the depreciating value of the currency.

From BBC ● Jan. 15, 2026

Here Dad would stop long enough to give his version of a depreciating moue, and hide his face coyly behind an upraised elbow.

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