decry

verb

de·​cry di-ˈkrī 

dē-

decried; decrying

transitive verb

1

: to depreciate (something, such as a coin) officially or publicly

the king may at any time decry … any coin of the kingdom

—William Blackstone

2

: to express strong disapproval of

decry the emphasis on sex

… has decried the medical marijuana ballot initiative as being rife with loopholes.

—Dan Sweeney

decrier

di-ˈkrī(-ə)r 

dē-

noun

Did you know?

Decry has several synonyms in English, among them disparage and belittle. Decry connotes an open condemnation that makes it the best choice for cases in which criticism is not at all veiled. The forthrightness expressed by the word is an echo from its ancestry: decry was borrowed in the 17th century from the French décrier, meaning "to discredit, depreciate," and the crier in that word is also the source of our word cry, the oldest meaning of which is “to utter loudly; shout.”

Synonyms

• dismiss
• minimize
• diminish
• criticize

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

Pediatric and obstetric organizations decried the decision, which ran counter to the findings of extensive research. —Michael A. Hiltzik, Mercury News, 28 June 2025

The executive order sparked a number of lawsuits and the first district and appeals court rulings of Trump’s second terms, with judges broadly decrying Trump’s effort to change the longstanding Constitutional protection. —Alison Durkee, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas decried the Supreme Court's involvement in a death row case in his dissent from the case on Thursday. —Sophie Clark, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 June 2025

Most recently, Pedro Pascal decried Rowling’s online celebration of an anti-trans UK Supreme Court ruling. —Tom Tapp, Deadline, 25 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

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.

First Known Use

1614, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for decry

• apply
• awry
• belie
• bely
• bigeye
• bonsai
• buckeye
• comply
• coxae
• defy
• deny
• descry

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Kids Definition

decry

verb

de·​cry di-ˈkrī 

1

: to express disrespect and scorn for : belittle

decry a hero's deeds

2

: to find fault with : condemn

decried the waste of resources

decrier

-ˈkrī(-ə)r 

noun