decry

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /dɪˈkraɪ/ UK /dɪˈkraɪ/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to publicly denounce or condemn

Activists decried the new law as unjust.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to publicly denounce or... denounce condemn disparage censure criticize deprecate belittle denigrate

Opposites

praise laud extol commend

Word family

Derived forms decrierdecrial

Related forms decrieddecrying

Simplified etymology

Etymology

From French décrier ('to cry down, discredit'), from Old French descrier, from des- ('down, away') + crier ('to cry'). Originally meaning to decry coinage as below value.

descrier Old French crier Old French quiritare Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# decry

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /dɪˈkraɪ/
**IPA (UK):** /dɪˈkraɪ/

## Meanings
1. to publicly denounce or condemn

## Examples
- Activists decried the new law as unjust.

## Synonyms
- denounce
- condemn
- disparage
- censure
- criticize
- deprecate
- belittle
- denigrate

## Antonyms
- praise
- laud
- extol
- commend

## Derived Forms
- decrier
- decrial

## Related Forms
- decried
- decrying

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: descrier
- Root: crier
- Root: quiritare

## Etymology
From French décrier ('to cry down, discredit'), from Old French descrier, from des- ('down, away') + crier ('to cry'). Originally meaning to decry coinage as below value.

## AI Etymology
Decry is from French décrier ('to cry down, discredit'), from Old French descrier, from des- ('down, away') + crier ('to cry'). Originally meaning to decry coinage as below value. The ancestry passes through Old French descrier, Old French crier, and Latin quiritare. In present use as a verb, it means "to publicly denounce or condemn", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. Related words include decried and decrying; derived forms include decrier and decrial. Its contrast set includes praise, laud, extol, and commend, which clarifies the semantic boundary of the modern word.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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