devalue

verb

de·​val·​ue (ˌ)dē-ˈval-(ˌ)yü 

devalued; devaluing; devalues

transitive verb

1

: to institute the devaluation of (money)

2

: to lessen the value of

intransitive verb

: to institute devaluation

Synonyms of devalue

• reduce

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 on the Web

But both the city and the developer, BH3 Merrimac, have explained that an existing long-term lease between the city and the developers devalues the land significantly. —Miami Herald, 11 Dec. 2025

Anuj doesn’t say it outright, but the sentiment of depleting currency hangs in the air, of how any number of items—bills, malls, entire towns—can be devalued at will by social and political forces. —Hazlitt, 10 Dec. 2025

Not just deskilling, but devaluing too? —Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 2 Dec. 2025

Writing diminished the importance of memory, and calculators devalued basic arithmetic skills, as the philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah recently wrote in this magazine. —Lila Shroff, The Atlantic, 1 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1918, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Rhymes for devalue

• accrue
• ado
• ainu
• aircrew
• airscrew
• anew
• askew
• baboo
• babu
• bamboo
• beaucoup
• bijou

Legal Definition

devalue

transitive verb

de·​val·​ue (ˌ)dē-ˈval-(ˌ)yü 

devalued; devaluing

1

: to institute the devaluation of (money)

2

: to lessen the value of

devaluing assets