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

Earlier this year, rappers Kollegah and Farid Bang won the ECHO Award for best hip-hop/urban album, the country's equivalent of a Grammy, sparking outrage over a lyric about Auschwitz many decried as anti-Semitic. — Rania Aniftos, Billboard, "Young Fathers Removed From German Festival Lineup for Supporting Anti-Israeli Cause," 15 June 2018 With many of his main rivals in jail, sidelined or exiled, the opposition decried the vote as illegitimate and deeply unfair. — Jim Wyss And Gustavo Ocando Alex, miamiherald, "Anemic voting in Venezuela paves way for Maduro reelection | Miami Herald," 20 May 2018 But the president hasn’t trusted America’s intelligence agencies since the start, namely, decrying a January 2017 assessment saying Russia tried to influence the 2016 presidential election. — Alex Ward, Vox, "Trump’s Saudi Arabia decision is the perfect distillation of his worldview," 21 Nov. 2018 Greater Indianapolis NAACP President Chrystal Ratcliffe decried the Merit Board's decision. — Mark Alesia, Indianapolis Star, "Aaron Bailey estate settles court case with city after fatal police shooting," 25 June 2018 But the White House defended Trump's remarks on Thursday, and Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said people decrying Trump's remarks are defending MS-13. — Alex Daugherty And David Smiley, miamiherald, "Are Miami Democrats overplaying their hand on Trump's 'animals' comment? | Miami Herald," 17 May 2018 The oration decried the widespread prejudice against educating women in the arts and sciences, which had been grounded in the view that a life of managing a household would require no such learning. — Richard Gunderman, Scientific American, "Maria Agnesi, the Greatest Female Mathematician You’ve Never Heard Of," 16 May 2018 Liberals, who decry entrenched privilege at home, seem strangely OK with a British aristocracy that conveys titles and estates through bloodlines. — Heather Souvaine Horn, The New Republic, "Donald Trump, Meghan Markle, and America’s enduring obsession with the British royals," 12 July 2018 Of course, the criticisms of this blanket condemnation of men — from transnational feminists who decry such glib universalism to U.S. women of color who demand an intersectional perspective — are mostly on the mark. — Andrew Sullivan, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump Is Making Us All Live in His Delusional Reality Show," 15 June 2018

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.

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