deprecate

verb

dep·​re·​cate ˈde-pri-ˌkāt 

deprecated; deprecating; deprecates

transitive verb

1

: to express disapproval of

deprecates such attempts at humor

2

a

: play down : make little of

speaks five languages … but deprecates this facility

—Time

b

: belittle, disparage

the most reluctantly admired and least easily deprecated of … novelists

—New Yorker

3

: to withdraw official support for or discourage the use of (something, such as a software product) in favor of a newer or better alternative

… the Google Drive app for PC and Mac is officially being deprecated and the company's developers announced in a blog post that it will no longer be supported starting December 11. Instead, you'll need to choose from one of two new apps.

—Rhett Jones

In the case of the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, Microsoft is deprecating and removing more than 20 features.

—Mauro Huculak

4

a

: to seek to avert

deprecate the wrath … of the Roman people

—Tobias Smollett

b

archaic : to pray against (something, such as an evil)

deprecation

ˌde-pri-ˈkā-shən 

noun

Synonyms

• bad-mouth
• belittle
• cry down
• decry
• denigrate
• depreciate
• derogate
• diminish
• dis [slang]
• diss
• discount
• dismiss
• disparage
• kiss off
• minimize
• play down
• poor-mouth
• put down
• run down
• talk down
• trash
• trash-talk
• vilipend
• write off

Examples of deprecate in a Sentence

movie critics tried to outdo one another in deprecating the comedy as the stupidest movie of the year

deprecates TV sitcoms as childish and simpleminded

Recent Examples on the Web

While better than no 2FA at all, SMS is the least secure method of providing such codes and deprecating use of the same can only be a good thing. —Davey Winder, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025

Regardless, Skype and Teams users will be able to chat with or call one another cross-platform until Skype is finally deprecated. —Samuel Axon, Ars Technica, 28 Feb. 2025

Evans had a reputation for deprecating humor, sometimes at her own expense. —Roger Showley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Feb. 2025

That's because PhysX, once a dedicated physics simulation tool and card that became a selling point for Nvidia's gear, has been largely deprecated on Nvidia 50-series cards. —Ars Technica, 18 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin deprecatus, past participle of deprecari to avert by prayer, from de- + precari to pray — more at pray

First Known Use

1628, in the meaning defined at sense 4b

Rhymes for deprecate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• adsorbate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate

Kids Definition

deprecate

verb

dep·​re·​cate ˈdep-ri-ˌkāt 

deprecated; deprecating

1

: to express disapproval of

2

: to represent as of little value : depreciate

deprecatingly

-ˌkāt-iŋ-lē 

adverb

deprecation

ˌdep-ri-ˈkā-shən 

noun