as in disparaging
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1
as in dismissing
to express scornfully one's low opinion of
movie critics tried to outdo one another in deprecating the comedy as the stupidest movie of the year
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disliking
to hold an unfavorable opinion of
deprecates TV sitcoms as childish and simpleminded
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deprecating
Sam Weller
july 11, Literary Hub, 11 July 2025
Bland has a similar deprecating sense of humor.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 June 2021
Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 8 June 2026
The internet personality was particularly known for satirical skits and deprecating humor, earning a Shorty Award and several Streamy Award nominations.
—Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 22 Dec. 2025
The 45-year-old actor has always projected a sort of likable, hunky lunkhead persona, giving the movies their equivalent of the campus jock that secretly had a sly sense of self-deprecating humor and theater-department chops.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Much writing today strikes me as deprecating, destructive, and angry.
—Sam Weller
july 11, Literary Hub, 11 July 2025
Bland has a similar deprecating sense of humor.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 June 2021
Verb
Our task, in the year of the United States’ two-hundred-and-fiftieth birthday, is to deprovincialize the Revolution, without unduly deprecating its originality.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 8 June 2026
The internet personality was particularly known for satirical skits and deprecating humor, earning a Shorty Award and several Streamy Award nominations.
—Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 22 Dec. 2025
The 45-year-old actor has always projected a sort of likable, hunky lunkhead persona, giving the movies their equivalent of the campus jock that secretly had a sly sense of self-deprecating humor and theater-department chops.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 8 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deprecating
Adjective
-
Felix points to Trump’s disparaging and false comments against Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, which put a target on the back of many Haitian immigrants.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2026
-
While Trump’s talk of a possible NATO pullout dates back years, the comments to The Telegraph newspaper in the U.K., published Wednesday, were among the clearest and most disparaging yet — suggesting that the fracture has deepened perhaps to a point of no return.—
Jill Lawless,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
That included dismissing all claims against the Herald defendants and Mayor Wu.—
Flint McColgan,
Boston Herald,
14 June 2026
-
Media covered the story briefly before dismissing it as youthful overreaction or isolated activism.—
Steve Denning,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
China and Russia are often described as caring deeply about sovereignty and disliking regime change for that reason.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Known for disliking public attention, Souter even forewent a Washington funeral.—
Ella Lee,
The Hill,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The Obamas have faced racist and derogatory attacks for years, including from public officials and online memes.—
Jennifer Hassan,
USA Today,
15 June 2026
-
People throwing cigarette butts against the house, yelling obscenities, playing derogatory music.—
Madeleine Wright,
CBS News,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
Three-dimensional tracking of meteors is a game changer, allowing scientists to pinpoint landing sites and retrieve meteorites rapidly after impact, minimizing contamination from our terrestrial environment.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
12 June 2026
-
Each head has its own wiper and pad for the nozzle to sit on, minimizing oozing between swaps.—
Michael Lydick,
PC Magazine,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
The four leaders have also angered Trump by criticizing how he’s gone about executing the war and his lack of consultation with allies before jumping into a conflict that’s hurt the global economy as oil prices have surged.—
Aamer Madhani,
Fortune,
12 June 2026
-
The four leaders have also angered Trump by criticizing how he's gone about executing the war and his lack of consultation with allies before jumping into a conflict that's hurt the global economy as oil prices have surged.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
Koenig’s former Yankees teammates were contemptuous of that miserly decision.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 June 2026
-
Critics are sometimes contemptuous of the way superhero entertainment has been embraced by adults, who should presumably be making their way through the Booker Prize longlist.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The delay also would push the removal into the middle of the night, diminishing the audience watching the event in person or on TV.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
12 June 2026
-
Once the scene resurfaced online some ten years later, internet users leveraged the phrase as a way to distinguish those who were musically superior (who had the range) and those who were not, diminishing them regardless of their popularity.—
Dr. Marcus Collins,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deprecating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deprecating. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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