Definition of DECRY

Choose the Right Synonym for decry

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 decry in a Sentence

In her article, she decries the pollution of the environment by manufacturers. Violence on television is generally decried as harmful to children.

Recent Examples on the Web Tens of thousands of Iraqi youth took to the streets to decry rampant corruption, poor services and unemployment. — Samya Kullab, Star Tribune, "Iraq: Since October, 560 protesters, police died in rallies," 30 July 2020 Walton was one of several civil-rights leaders to decry the governor's refusal to back removal of the state's six Confederate memorials in 2017. — Maria Polletta, azcentral, "'I'm tired, governor': As protests continue, black faith leaders demand action from Ducey," 2 June 2020 Protests ranged across the nation, including in New York City, Los Angeles, Houston, St. Paul, Columbia, S.C., and Orlando, where more than 1,000 people gathered in the afternoon to decry the killings of Black people. — David A. Fahrenthold, BostonGlobe.com, "US cities gird for more violence as Trump decries ‘lowlifes’," 2 June 2020 At the same time, the 244th Independence Day comes as hundreds of people continue to gather in Portland and elsewhere to decry the death of George Floyd under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer. — oregonlive, "July Fourth in Oregon during pandemic and social justice movement: ‘How do you be patriotic right now?'," 4 July 2020 Paul area is not surprising to many African Americans who continue to decry the deaths of other black men and women in the U.S. who met a similar fate. — USA Today, "George Floyd's Minneapolis: Multicultural facade hid decades of simmering racial inequality," 11 June 2020 All physician advocacy organizations should do the same and publicly decry the deaths of unarmed Black men and women. — Chijioke Nze, STAT, "Police brutality is our lane too, doctors say," 5 June 2020 Disney is rebranding its Splash Mountain rides to scrub out allusions to its controversial 1946 film Song of the South, which critics decry as racist. — Eamon Barrett, Fortune, "How not to design Mississippi’s new state flag," 30 June 2020 Ingram-Lopez’s case has sparked outrage as protesters around the country decry police brutality. — Washington Post, "Tucson mayor sticks with police chief after custody death," 25 June 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'decry.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for decry

borrowed from French décrier "to discredit, depreciate," going back to Middle French descrier (15th century), from des- de- + crier "to cry entry 1"

Note: A supposed 13th-century French usage of descrier in the sense "to announce (the depreciation or suppression of a currency)," mentioned without citation in the Französisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, has never been found and should probably be disregarded. See also note at descry entry 1.

Learn More about decry