decry
verb
de·cry di-ˈkrī 
dē-
decried; decrying
transitive verb
1
: to depreciate (something, such as a coin) officially or publicly
the king may at any time decry … any coin of the kingdom
William Blackstone
William Blackstone2
: to express strong disapproval of
decry the emphasis on sex
… has decried the medical marijuana ballot initiative as being rife with loopholes. Dan Sweeney
Dan Sweeney decrier
di-ˈkrī(-ə)r
noun dē-
Did you know?
Decry has several synonyms in English, among them disparage and belittle. Decry connotes an open condemnation that makes it the best choice for cases in which criticism is not at all veiled. The forthrightness expressed by the word is an echo from its ancestry: decry was borrowed in the 17th century from the French décrier, meaning "to discredit, depreciate," and the crier in that word is also the source of our word cry, the oldest meaning of which is “to utter loudly; shout.”
Synonyms
- bad-mouth
- belittle
- cry down
- denigrate
- deprecate
- 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
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
In her article, she decries the pollution of the environment by manufacturers. Violence on television is generally decried as harmful to children.
Recent Examples on the Web The president made his own Wilkes-Barre trip last week to discuss increasing funding for police, decry GOP criticism of the FBI after the raid on Trump’s Florida estate and to argue that new, bipartisan gun measures can help reduce violent crime. Will Weissert, ajc, 5 Sep. 2022 The president made his own Wilkes-Barre trip last week to discuss increasing funding for police, decry GOP criticism of the FBI after the raid on Trump’s Florida estate, and argue that new, bipartisan gun measures can help reduce violent crime. Will Weissert, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Sep. 2022 But officials, including Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, decry that issues at the facility are not just a result of recent severe weather, rather in part due to the lack of maintenance over an immense period of time. Ahmad Hemingway, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2022 As some major players in the crypto universe rush to comply, plenty of others decry the move as overly broad and even asinine. Eric Mack, Forbes, 9 Aug. 2022 Many commentators these days, both progressive and conservative, decry a lack of opportunities for the American middle class, the concentration of certain industries under a few owners, and the tilt of startup funding toward a few large cities. Josh Rutzick, WSJ, 28 July 2022 The Chinese often decry the United States’ Cold War mentality. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 25 July 2022 Trump, meanwhile, has continued to decry the search as a personal attack in which he has been targeted by federal authorities. Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY, 12 Aug. 2022 After Garland’s appearance, Trump took to his own social media network to again decry the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago. Josh Dawsey, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Aug. 2022 See More
Will Weissert, ajc, 5 Sep. 2022 The president made his own Wilkes-Barre trip last week to discuss increasing funding for police, decry GOP criticism of the FBI after the raid on Trump’s Florida estate, and argue that new, bipartisan gun measures can help reduce violent crime. Will Weissert, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Sep. 2022 But officials, including Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, decry that issues at the facility are not just a result of recent severe weather, rather in part due to the lack of maintenance over an immense period of time. Ahmad Hemingway, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2022 As some major players in the crypto universe rush to comply, plenty of others decry the move as overly broad and even asinine. Eric Mack, Forbes, 9 Aug. 2022 Many commentators these days, both progressive and conservative, decry a lack of opportunities for the American middle class, the concentration of certain industries under a few owners, and the tilt of startup funding toward a few large cities. Josh Rutzick, WSJ, 28 July 2022 The Chinese often decry the United States’ Cold War mentality. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 25 July 2022 Trump, meanwhile, has continued to decry the search as a personal attack in which he has been targeted by federal authorities. Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY, 12 Aug. 2022 After Garland’s appearance, Trump took to his own social media network to again decry the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago. Josh Dawsey, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
borrowed from French décrier "to discredit, depreciate," going back to Middle French descrier (15th century), from des- de- + crier "to cry entry 1"
Note: A supposed 13th-century French usage of descrier in the sense "to announce (the depreciation or suppression of a currency)," mentioned without citation in the Französisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, has never been found and should probably be disregarded. See also note at descry entry 1.
First Known Use
1614, in the meaning defined at sense 1
decrying 1 of 2
adjective
as in slighting
intended to make a person or thing seem of little importance or value the usual decrying remarks about the clothes that the stars wore to the awards ceremony Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- slighting
- insulting
- degrading
- disparaging
- demeaning
- belittling
- malicious
- denigratory
- uncomplimentary
- critical
- scornful
- derogatory
- vilifying
- abusive
- depreciatory
- pejorative
- disdainful
- deprecatory
- maligning
- contemptuous
- depreciative
- venomous
- derisory
- derogative
- hateful
- denigrative
- detractive
- slandering
- libelous
- nasty
- malign
- cruel
- virulent
- calumnious
- denunciatory
- opprobrious
- scurrilous
- spiteful
- aspersing
- malignant
- slanderous
- defamatory
- scathing
- malevolent
- unkind
- despiteful
- jealous
- libellous
- mean
- envious
- bitter
- caustic
- rancorous
- jaundiced
- resentful
- catty
- acrimonious
- denunciative
- acrid
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- laudatory
- complimentary
- approving
- positive
- admiring
- commendatory
- adulatory
- applauding
- friendly
- laudative
- respectful
- sympathetic
- appreciative
- kind
- warm
- kindly
- kindhearted
- warmhearted
- unmalicious
decrying
2 of 2verb
1
as in dismissing
to express scornfully one's low opinion of scientists were quick to decry the claims of the psychic Synonyms & Similar Words
- dismissing
- minimizing
- criticizing
- diminishing
- denigrating
- denouncing
- discounting
- disparaging
- condemning
- belittling
- derogating
- deprecating
- disliking
- trashing
- depreciating
- bad-mouthing
- dumping on
- running down
- dissing
- talking down
- crying down
- scolding
- writing off
- playing down
- trash-talking
- discrediting
- vilipending
- poor-mouthing
- vilifying
- maligning
- kissing off
- abusing
- slandering
- censuring
- putting down
- defaming
- ripping
- disgracing
- discommending
- traducing
- reprobating
- reprehending
- slurring
- aspersing
- disapproving (of)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- praising
- lauding
- applauding
- endorsing
- glorifying
- exalting
- approving
- sanctioning
- favoring
- magnifying
- extolling
- recommending
- countenancing
- acclaiming
- indorsing
- commending
- eulogizing
- complimenting
2
as in denouncing
to declare to be morally wrong or evil a statement by the church decrying modern society's liberal attitude regarding marriage and divorce Synonyms & Similar Words
- denouncing
- criticizing
- condemning
- blaming
- attacking
- censuring
- damning
- execrating
- disparaging
- anathematizing
- faulting
- reprobating
- reprehending
- belittling
- slamming
- chastising
- sentencing
- panning
- hating
- berating
- chiding
- admonishing
- knocking
- deprecating
- scolding
- blasting
- castigating
- upbraiding
- dooming
- convicting
- raking
- excommunicating
- lambasting
- rebuking
- blacklisting
- abhorring
- detesting
- reviling
- ostracizing
- reprimanding
- dissing
- loathing
- dispraising
- cursing
- reproaching
- reproving
- vituperating
- abominating
- imprecating
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- approving
- endorsing
- praising
- sanctioning
- lauding
- indorsing
- blessing
- eulogizing
- exalting
- glorifying
- touting
- commending
- applauding
- hailing
- saluting
- honoring
- acclaiming
- extolling
- sanctifying
- consecrating
- revering
- venerating
- hallowing