devalue
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
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to reduce (a currency) or (of a currency) be reduced in exchange value
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(tr) to reduce the value or worth of (something)
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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devaluesimple
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devaluessimple
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have devaluedperfect
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has devaluedperfect
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am devaluingprogressive
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are devaluingprogressive
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is devaluingprogressive
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have been devaluingperfect progressive
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has been devaluingperfect progressive
Past
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devaluedsimple
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had devaluedperfect
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was devaluingprogressive
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were devaluingprogressive
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had been devaluingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of devalue
Explanation
When you make something less valuable or less important, you devalue it. You might devalue your car by spray painting it black and letting your dog chew the upholstery. Economists and business reporters often use the verb devalue when they talk about the currency — or money — of different countries, and what it's worth in comparison to other currencies. Sometimes countries will devalue their currency, for example, to get more people to buy their exported products. But you can also devalue a relationship by neglecting it, or devalue a diamond ring by chipping it. Devaluation came before devalue, with a Latin root of valere, "be strong or be of value."
Vocabulary lists containing devalue
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:
Are some of the recent changes to the program, like expanding from three tiers of redemption to five, a way to stealthily devalue points?
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
If Washington and Tokyo were to team up to devalue the dollar and prop up the yen, there could be benefits for both sides.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026
No one, especially not your second husband of three years, gets to devalue or judge your relationship with your kids.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 22, 2026
“The government would like to increase competitiveness rather than devalue the currency.”
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2025
When France needed to devalue its currency, for example, they told the IMF in advance.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
Wars are financed by borrowing and printing money which devalues debt and fiat currency.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 16, 2026
If AI devalues knowledge, it undermines the US equity market’s advantage and its S&P 500’s 21x forward earnings.
From Barron's ● Feb. 13, 2026
Critics of the expansion say it devalues the qualification process.
From BBC ● Apr. 11, 2025
Having spent the last year feeling increasingly out of place in a world that devalues art and process over expedience and automation, watching “The Last Showgirl” felt like looking in a mirror.
From Salon ● Jan. 8, 2025
He idealizes his beaus and then devalues them.
From Moral Deliberations in Modern Cinema by Vaknin, Samuel
But when your points are devalued, your transfer ratio can suddenly become something like 4 to 3.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
When asked to elaborate on his problems with radio hits, he said that songwriters have been devalued.
From Salon ● Mar. 29, 2026
To cover its budget deficits, the regime in Tehran has devalued its currency.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 8, 2026
Libyans have been enjoying Ramadan with feasts and fireworks -- but soaring prices, a devalued currency and political divisions have left many with little to celebrate.
From Barron's ● Feb. 21, 2026
Now that I’m an adult, I realize that kids know at a very young age when they’re being devalued, when adults aren’t invested enough to help them learn.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Tattooists say "bottomless tattoo" events are devaluing their craft, as removal specialists report growing demand from people wanting tiny tattoos erased.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
A recent survey from Resume.com showed that 41% of workers believed AI was replacing, devaluing or overlapping with parts of their jobs.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
There’s a tidal change happening in youth culture that is tied to inaccessibility, a response to the devaluing of making art, that’s exciting to see.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
You can’t make fun of the people devaluing art by scrolling on their phone, watching movies at home, and then play artists off the stage before they can even say a word.
From Salon ● Mar. 16, 2026
If that dramatically brings down the cost of making production-ready software, there is likely to be more software, devaluing the roles these applications play today.
From Barron's ● Feb. 24, 2026
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.
