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

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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.”

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 But in distancing himself from fellow Democrats, Manchin also tried to decry the rise of partisanship and suggested America's path forward will need to move beyond traditional party-line politics. — Hope Yen, BostonGlobe.com, 31 July 2022 But in distancing himself from fellow Democrats, Manchin also tried to decry the rise of partisanship and suggested America's path forward will need to move beyond traditional party-line politics. — Hope Yen, ajc, 31 July 2022 Trump has used Twitter to decry Georgia's voting system, absentee ballot signature verification, and recount observation rules — a move that's only intensified the in-fighting and finger-pointing. — Barnini Chakraborty, Washington Examiner, 17 Nov. 2020 The right to decry ESG and Woke Capitalism as existential threats to America. — Robert G. Eccles, Forbes, 5 July 2022 Since Logan-Bledsoe’s death, numerous community members, advocates and leaders have taken to social media to decry the uptick in violence in the area, particularly at 24-hour gas stations like the one where she was shot. — Dia Gill, Chicago Tribune, 24 June 2022 Other Hollywood stars such as Patricia Arquette, Billy Eichner and Elizabeth Banks have taken to social media to decry the court’s decision. — Brent Lang, Variety, 24 June 2022 More people showed up to celebrate Anaheim designating their houses as historic structures than to decry Sidhu’s actions. — Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2022 People gather outside the Hennepin County Government Center to decry the lack of charges brought after the death of Amir Locke on Apr. 6 in Minneapolis. — NBC News, 17 Apr. 2022 See More

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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