derogate
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to detract, as from authority, estimation, etc. (usually followed byfrom ).
-
to stray in character or conduct; degenerate (usually followed byfrom ).
verb (used with object)
-
to disparage or belittle.
-
Archaic. to take away (a part) so as to impair the whole.
adjective
verb
-
to cause to seem inferior or be in disrepute; detract
-
to deviate in standard or quality; degenerate
-
(tr) to cause to seem inferior, etc; disparage
-
(tr) to curtail the application of (a law or regulation)
adjective
Synonym Usage
See decry.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of derogate
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English from Latin dērogātus “repealed, restricted” (past participle of dērogāre ), equivalent to dē- de- + rog(āre) “to ask” + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
When you derogate someone, you belittle them or put them down. If you tend to derogate everyone around you, it's unlikely you'll win the election for class president. It's extremely common in politics to hear a candidate derogate their opponent, or for one political party to derogate another. When they do this, they are focusing on their adversary's weaknesses and faults in an attempt to harm their reputation. This sense of weakening someone's reputation dates from the 15th century, and it stems from the Latin derogare, "take away," a root derogate shares with derogatory.
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:
One option to deal with the shortfall would be to allow Kilroot to temporarily derogate from its environmental permits though the legality and cost of that is unclear.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2022
Producers and Lee’s estate signed a contract agreeing that “the play shall not derogate or depart in any manner from the spirit of the novel nor alter its characters,” according to The New York Times.
From Slate ● Mar. 15, 2018
The contract the parties signed states that “the Play shall not derogate or depart in any manner from the spirit of the Novel nor alter its characters.”
From New York Times ● Mar. 14, 2018
Neither doth the Apostle condemn only the superstitious use of these exercises, as Calvin well observeth,315 alioqui in totum damnaret: whereas he doth only extenuate and derogate from them, saying, that they profit little.
From The Works of Mr. George Gillespie (Vol. 1 of 2) by George Gillespie
To weigh justly these elements of their renown, is not invidiously to derogate from it, but only to vindicate the truth of history.
From The American Quarterly Review No. XVIII, June 1831 (Vol 9) by Various
McConnell notes that early executive-legislative skirmishes over information were couched in language about congressional “requests” for information that implicitly acknowledged presidential authority, not subpoenas that derogated it.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 22, 2021
Social psychologists, including my New York University colleague Madeline Heilman, have shown that successful women in traditionally masculine roles are often derogated and disliked.
From Slate ● Dec. 11, 2020
The pressures of adapting the book also were complicated after a lawyer for Lee’s estate filed a lawsuit alleging that Sorkin’s interpretation derogated the “spirit of the novel.”
From Washington Post ● Dec. 11, 2018
The commission’s in-depth investigation opened in February 2015 showed that the scheme derogated from normal practice under Belgian company tax rules and the so-called ‘arm’s length principle’.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 15, 2016
Sobriety, good Nature and Modesty, form’d her Character, From which she never derogated.
“That’s not a frivolous argument. But I’m not sure that’s true. I think if you want to restore the rule of law and equal justice, you don’t do it by further derogating from justice.”
From Washington Times ● Jun. 19, 2023
I don’t want to seem like I’m derogating these other films.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 3, 2021
Humans respond to feelings of threat by derogating outgroups.
From Salon ● Dec. 31, 2018
But I think in general terms this is a very derogating thing.
From Time ● Jun. 23, 2013
The man yielded everything to her and yet he did it without in any way derogating from his self respect or without surrendering his natural independence.
From The Chalice Of Courage A Romance of Colorado by Cyrus Townsend Brady
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
