depreciate

verb

de·​pre·​ci·​ate di-ˈprē-shē-ˌāt 

depreciated; depreciating

transitive verb

1

: to lower in honor or esteem

often depreciates the importance of her work

2

a

: to lower the price or estimated value of

depreciate property

b

: to deduct from taxable income a portion of the original cost of (a business asset) over several years as the value of the asset decreases

intransitive verb

: to fall in value

advised us to sell the stock before it depreciates

depreciable

di-ˈprē-shə-bəl 

adjective

depreciatingly

di-ˈprē-shē-ˌā-tiŋ-lē 

adverb

depreciation

di-ˌprē-shē-ˈā-shən 

noun

depreciative

di-ˈprē-shə-tiv 

-shē-ˌā-tiv

adjective

depreciator

di-ˈprē-shē-ˌā-tər 

noun

depreciatory

di-ˈprē-shə-ˌtȯr-ē 

adjective

Synonyms

• attenuate
• break
• cheapen
• depress
• devaluate
• devalue
• downgrade
• lower
• mark down
• reduce
• sink
• write down
• write off

Choose the Right Synonym for depreciate

decry, depreciate, disparage, belittle mean to express a low opinion of.

decry implies open condemnation with intent to discredit.

decried their defeatist attitude

depreciate implies a representing as being of less value than commonly believed.

critics depreciate his plays for being unabashedly sentimental

disparage implies depreciation by indirect means such as slighting or invidious comparison.

disparaged polo as a game for the rich

belittle usually suggests a contemptuous or envious attitude.

belittled the achievements of others

Examples of depreciate in a Sentence

These changes have greatly depreciated the value of the house.

The value of the house has depreciated greatly.

Recent Examples on the Web

Some Nigerians have turned to crypto as an alternative to the local currency, which has depreciated substantially over the past two years. —Emily Flitter, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024

The local currency has also significantly depreciated, losing over half its value to the US dollar following its second devaluation in less than a year. —Nimi Princewill, CNN, 24 Feb. 2024

To say nothing of the depreciating numbers of humans on the planet who own televisions, there are not many opportunities left on television where pretty much every demographic is in one place at one time watching. —Jason Sheeler, Peoplemag, 11 Feb. 2024

Car loans also strain your balance sheet, because cars depreciate quickly. —Michael Cannivet, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024

That’s not uncommon since the vehicle has less time to depreciate, but this discrepancy is on the larger side. —Logan Carter / Jalopnik, Quartz, 27 Mar. 2024

Forbes senior contributor John Archer writes that Amazon has also depreciated the video and sound quality available on the baseline tier. —Megan Poinski, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024

But the Internet’s exponential growth only depreciated the value of clicks. —Clare Malone, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2024

Effort also goes into depreciating the worst of the training data. —Jaron Lanier, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Late Latin depretiatus, past participle of depretiare, from Latin de- + pretium price — more at price entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

depreciate

verb

de·​pre·​ci·​ate di-ˈprē-shē-ˌāt 

depreciated; depreciating

1

: to lower the price or value of

depreciate the currency

2

: to represent as of little value : disparage

3

: to fall in value

new cars depreciate rapidly

depreciative

-ˈprē-shət-iv

-shē-ˌāt-iv

adjective

depreciatory

-shə-ˌtōr-ē 

-ˌtȯr-

adjective

Legal Definition

depreciate

verb

de·​pre·​ci·​ate di-ˈprē-shē-ˌāt 

depreciated; depreciating

transitive verb

: to subject to depreciation : lower the value of

intransitive verb

: to fall in value compare appreciate