decry
verb /dɪˈkraɪ/
/dɪˈkraɪ/
(formal)Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they decry | /dɪˈkraɪ/ /dɪˈkraɪ/ |
| he / she / it decries | /dɪˈkraɪz/ /dɪˈkraɪz/ |
| past simple decried | /dɪˈkraɪd/ /dɪˈkraɪd/ |
| past participle decried | /dɪˈkraɪd/ /dɪˈkraɪd/ |
| -ing form decrying | /dɪˈkraɪɪŋ/ /dɪˈkraɪɪŋ/ |
- decry somebody/something (as something) to strongly criticize somebody/something, especially publicly synonym condemn
- The measures were decried as useless.
Word Originearly 17th cent. (in the sense ‘decrease the value of coins by royal proclamation’): from de- ‘down’ + cry, on the pattern of French décrier ‘cry down’.