disapprovedis‧ap‧prove /ˌdɪsəˈpruːv/ ●●○ verb 
I knew my parents would disapprove, but I went anyway.disapprove of I disapprove of diets; it’s better to eat sensibly. Her family strongly disapproved of her behaviour.RegisterIn everyday English, people often say they don’t agree with an idea rather than disapprove of it: · I don’t agree with capital punishment.2[transitive] formal to not agree to something that has been suggested OPP approve: The board of directors disapproved the sale.
VERB TABLE
disapprove
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | disapprove |
| he, she, it | disapproves | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | disapproved |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have disapproved |
| he, she, it | has disapproved | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had disapproved |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will disapprove |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have disapproved |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am disapproving |
| he, she, it | is disapproving | |
| you, we, they | are disapproving | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was disapproving |
| you, we, they | were disapproving | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been disapproving |
| he, she, it | has been disapproving | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been disapproving |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be disapproving |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been disapproving |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- A lot of church leaders disapproved of the book when it was first published.
- I could tell from my mother's face that she disapproved.
- I strongly disapprove of any form of gambling.
- My friends disapprove of me smoking.
- And it was obvious that they had disapproved of her and given up on her a long time before Bill had.
- Emma was accustomed to these tribulations of child-rearing, but never had she seen her husband Rupert so short-tempered and disapproving.
- Most fundamentalist churches disapprove of homosexuals, and many leaders of the religious right have aggressively campaigned against gay rights.
- That, she knew full well, she could do nothing about, although she disapproved of the whole set-up.
- You do not even disapprove, very much, of the way I came to bed with you.
Longman Language Activatorto think that someone or something is bad or morally wrong
to think that someone or something is bad, morally wrong, or very stupid: · I could tell from my mother's face that she disapproved.disapprove of: · A lot of church leaders disapproved of the book when it was first published.disapprove of somebody doing something: · My friends disapprove of me smoking.strongly disapprove (=disapprove very much): · I strongly disapprove of any form of gambling.
to think that someone or something is bad, morally wrong, or very stupid: do not approve of: · His mother clearly did not approve of Sophie.do not approve of somebody doing something: · You know I don't approve of you smoking.
how you feel when you think someone's ideas, behaviour, or actions are bad or morally wrong: do something with disapproval: · She looked at our clothes with obvious disapproval.somebody's disapproval/the disapproval of somebody: · Peter was determined to go to art school, despite his parents' disapproval.
to think that something is morally wrong and should not happen: · A lot of people now think that killing animals for food is wrong.think it is wrong to do something: · I think it's wrong to hit a child, whatever the circumstances.
if a group of people frown on or upon a particular kind of behaviour, they think that it is not the right way to behave: · The people who went to church frowned on those who spent Sunday mornings in bed.· Romantic relationships between teachers and students are frowned upon by the college authorities.
to disapprove of someone's behaviour - use this especially about someone in authority or someone who could take action to stop the behaviour: · The school takes a very dim view of this behaviour.· The electorate took a dim view of the tax increase.
to think that a particular person or group of people has a bad character, so that you do not respect them: · I'm afraid I have a rather low opinion of Mr Evans.· He had a very low opinion of insurance salesmen.
to disapprove of someone because of a particular thing they have done: · I didn't want my parents or teachers to think badly of me.· Please, Harry, you mustn't think badly of me. I had no choice.
informal to strongly disapprove of a particular kind of behaviour, attitude, or idea: · I don't hold with racism. Never have, never will.· Many of the older generation simply don't hold with mixed marriages.
to say that you disapprove of something or someone to say, write, or show publicly that you disapprove of someone or something: · The president expressed his disapproval of protest groups that break the law.· Thousands of people have voiced their disapproval of the government.· Nurses plan to show their disapproval by organizing a series of one-day strikes.· How can dissatisfied taxpayers register disapproval of government policies?
to clearly and publicly say that you strongly disapprove of someone or something: · Politicians and religious leaders have universally condemned this act of terrorism.· Lawyers were quick to condemn the new legislation.condemn something as something: · The destruction of rainforests has been condemned as a disaster for the environment.condemn somebody for doing something: · Local authorities have been condemned for failing to tackle the problem of homelessness.
to say publicly that you strongly disapprove of something or someone and think that they are morally bad: · The Republicans denounced the waste of public money involved in the new program.· Community leaders were quick to denounce the police for reacting too violently to the disturbances.denounce somebody/something as something: · Darwin's theories about evolution were denounced by many people.
formal to say that you strongly disapprove of a particular kind of behaviour or something that has happened, because it is morally wrong: · We deplore the use of violence against innocent people.· The United Nations has issued a statement deploring the continued fighting.
to look at someone in a disapproving way informal to look quickly and angrily at someone in a way that shows you disapprove strongly of what they have said or done: · Frank turned round and gave me a really dirty look.
to look slightly unhappy or annoyed, because you disapprove of something: · Mr Bonner frowned and pursed his lips, but said nothing.frown at: · Mrs Gold frowned at the children, who were getting mud all over their clothes.
to look at someone in a way that shows that you are very angry with them: · Roger glared angrily at her across the dinner table.
showing disapproval if someone speaks to you or looks at you in a disapproving way, they show by the way they talk or look that they disapprove of you: · The announcement of a further pay increase for politicians provoked disapproving comments from the leader of the opposition party.disapproving glance/look/stare: · John gave me a disapproving look when I suggested another drink.
a derogatory remark expresses disapproval of something or someone and is often also insulting: · I wish you wouldn't make derogatory remarks about members of my family.· I didn't like the way he made derogatory comments about his colleagues.
formal a pejorative word expresses disapproval, often in an offensive way: · He used the word 'girl' in the pejorative sense when referring to the women who worked for him.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Her family strongly disapproved of her behaviour.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB
Her family strongly disapproved of her behaviour.· I believe my father strongly disapproves of Uncle Adam or whatever businesses he runs.· Gay marriage has emerged as an explosive social issue, with polls indicating that most voters strongly disapprove of it.· I strongly disapprove of needless bloodshed, be the blood flowing from human veins or otherwise.· Bob strongly disapproved of drinking and driving.· Naturally, if some one has a characteristic you strongly disapprove of you will rate them as being more favourable and vice-versa.· Tracey would strongly disapprove if he knew whom she was calling.· People often strongly disapprove of others who behave in unusual ways.
NOUN· Others were pro-reform but disapproved of the way the reforms were currently being implemented.· Fifty-two percent of the overall sample of voters said they disapprove of the way Clinton is doing his job.· He liked Eden, and he found it easy to disapprove of the way in which Chamberlain had handled relations with him.· Suddenly, behind the disapproving odor, way way back behind it, she smelled another thing.· Her working-class male counterpart is not usually ridiculed or disapproved of in this way, as some one whose language is inappropriate.
VERB· Compare the people with one another and identify what they have in common, and what you approve and disapprove of.· The underwriter led the team and was charged with full authority to approve or disapprove applications.· You decide whether you approve or disapprove, whether you like or dislike, whether you trust or distrust.· And the Senate can only approve or disapprove the agreement.
WORD FAMILYadjectiveapproving ≠ disapprovingapprovednounapproval ≠ disapprovalverbapprove ≠ disapproveadverbapprovingly ≠ disapprovingly
1[intransitive] to think that someone or their behaviour, ideas etc are bad or wrong OPP approve: I knew my parents would disapprove, but I went anyway.disapprove of I disapprove of diets; it’s better to eat sensibly. Her family strongly disapproved of her behaviour.RegisterIn everyday English, people often say they don’t agree with an idea rather than disapprove of it: · I don’t agree with capital punishment.2[transitive] formal to not agree to something that has been suggested OPP approve: The board of directors disapproved the sale.