de·cry (d -kr )tr.v. de·cried, de·cry·ing, de·cries 1. To condemn openly. 2. To depreciate (currency, for example) by official proclamation or by rumor.
[French décrier, from Old French descrier : des-, de- + crier, to cry; see cry.]
de·cri er n. Synonyms: decry, disparage, depreciate, derogate, belittle, minimize, downgrade These verbs mean to think, write, or speak of as being of little value or importance. Decry implies open denunciation or condemnation: A staunch materialist, he decries economy. Disparage often implies the communication of a low opinion by indirection: Many critics disparage psychoanalysis as being a pseudoscience. To depreciate is to assign a lower than customary value to someone or something: Some musicologists depreciate Liszt's compositions. Derogate implies a detraction that impairs: People often derogate what they don't understand. Belittle and minimize mean to make less important, but minimize strongly implies the minimum level: He belittled the child's attempts to draw. She tried to minimize my accomplishment. To downgrade is to minimize in importance or estimation: Her rival downgraded the painting, calling it decorative but superficial. |
decry Verb [-cries, -crying, -cried] to express open disapproval of [Old French descrier]
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms | Verb | 1. | decry - express strong disapproval of; "We condemn the racism in South Africa"; "These ideas were reprobated"denounce - speak out against; "He denounced the Nazis" |
decry verb condemn, blame, abuse, blast, denounce, put down, criticize, run down, discredit, censure, detract, denigrate, belittle, disparage, rail against, depreciate, tear into ( informal) diss ( slang), chiefly U.S. lambast(e), traduce, excoriate, derogate, cry down, asperse
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