deprecate

verb

dep·​re·​cate ˈde-pri-ˌkāt How to pronounce deprecate (audio)
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 facilityTime
b
: belittle, disparage
the most reluctantly admired and least easily deprecated of … novelistsNew 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 peopleTobias Smollett
b
archaic : to pray against (something, such as an evil)
deprecation noun

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 These generic drivers have been successful enough that Microsoft is slowly deprecating legacy print drivers entirely. Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 8 Dec. 2023 Here's a partial list of models that will be deprecated: ada babbage curie davinci davinci-instruct-beta curie-instruct-beta text-ada-001 text-babbage-001 text-curie-001 text-davinci-001 text-davinci-002 text-davinci-003 OpenAI will provide drop-in replacements for these older models. Benj Edwards, Ars Technica, 10 July 2023 Jimmy Fallon keeps saying deprecating things like that he’s never worked a day in his life. Bethy Squires, Vulture, 26 Jan. 2024 Enlarge Getty Images | Yuichiro Chino Further Reading Electronic Frontier Foundation will deprecate HTTPS Everywhere plugin One of the biggest advances in web security over the last decade or so is the proliferation of secure, encrypted HTTPS connections. Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 3 May 2023 Its prior app Beeper, temporarily renamed Beeper Cloud, was marked to be deprecated at some point in favor of the new iMessage-touting Mini app. Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 11 Dec. 2023 Although the term continues to be used colloquially to describe the poorest countries in the world, this usage is widely discouraged since the term no longer holds any verifiable meaning after the fall of the Soviet Union deprecated the terms First World and Second World. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 17 Aug. 2010 And, one winner changes an entire industry by deprecating a single small component. Popular Science, 29 Nov. 2023 In person, and via Zoom, Taylor is warm, deprecating, eloquent company. Hazlitt, 31 May 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deprecate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of deprecate was in 1628

Dictionary Entries Near deprecate

Cite this Entry

“Deprecate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deprecate. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

deprecate

verb
dep·​re·​cate ˈdep-ri-ˌkāt How to pronounce deprecate (audio)
deprecated; deprecating
1
: to express disapproval of
2
: to represent as of little value : depreciate
deprecatingly adverb
deprecation noun

More from Merriam-Webster on deprecate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!