devalue

verb de·val·ue \ (ˌ)dē-ˈval-(ˌ)yü \

Definition of devalue

transitive verb

1 :to institute the devaluation of (money)

2 :to lessen the value of

intransitive verb

:to institute devaluation

See devalue defined for English-language learners

Examples of devalue in a Sentence

The government has decided to devalue its currency.
Economic woes forced the government to devalue.
He argues that placing too many requirements on schools devalues the education they provide.

Recent Examples of devalue from the Web

Neither your daughter or mine deserves to grow up in a society that devalues their existence for any reason.

— jazz smollett-warwell, Glamour, "Raising Our Daughters In the Age of Charlottesville: An Open Letter to Ivanka Trump," 25 Aug. 2017
The two share an agent, Chris Gittings, who helped foster their relationship, and also a path to the NFL as an undrafted running back in a league that’s devalued the position.

— dave birkett, Detroit Free Press, "Summer workouts with Danny Woodhead help Lions RB Zach Zenner shine," 21 Aug. 2017
This was particularly the case for many white voters without college degrees, who have seen their relative social and economic standing decline and their patriotism devalued.

— max bloom, National Review, "Dunkirk and Our Crisis of National Identity," 1 Aug. 2017
There’s no truth that, like a car, the stadium devalued as soon as it was used, though it may get knocked down a hunny thou or so just because of the quality of the tour’s clientele.

— ajc homepage, ajc, "Behold! Mercedes-Benz Stadium," 25 July 2017
America’s word has been devalued under Trump, creating a degree of uncertainty that sharply raises the risk of calamitous miscalculation.

— daniel kurtz-phelan, Daily Intelligencer, "How Trump Made the Nearly Impossible North Korea Problem Even Worse," 6 July 2017
And if everyone can slam homers, the home run itself is devalued.

— the tylt, OregonLive.com, "Is baseball more fun with steroids?," 3 July 2017
In-N-Out has terrible fries, which devalues the entire experience.

— andy staples, SI.com, "Where to eat, drink in Knoxville," 30 June 2017
There’s a practical reason for this: consumer distrust of the investment industry tends to devalue advertising.

— by dan danford, kansascity.com, "America is full of people who need help making financial decisions," 28 June 2017

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

First Known Use of devalue

1918

devalue Synonyms

Synonyms

attenuate, break, cheapen, depress, devaluate, depreciate, downgrade, lower, mark down, reduce, sink, write down, write off

Antonyms

appreciate, enhance, mark up, upgrade

Related Words

debase, demonetize; underestimate, underprice, underrate, undervalue; abridge, compress, contract, de-escalate, deflate, downsize, dwindle, lessen, moderate, shrink

Near Antonyms

bloat, blow up, inflate; overestimate, overprice, overrate, overvalue; add, aggrandize, amplify, augment, balloon, boost, compound, dilate, enlarge, escalate, expand, extend, heighten, increase, maximize, multiply, raise, swell, up

DEVALUE Defined for English Language Learners

devalue

verb

Definition of devalue for English Language Learners

finance : to lower the value of a country's money so that it is worth less when it is traded with another country's money
: to cause (something or someone) to seem or to be less valuable or important