deprecation
Other forms: deprecations
When you express your extreme disapproval of something, that's deprecation. Your health teacher's deprecation of sugary snacks may change your eating habits — or it might just make you feel a little guilty for enjoying your jelly beans.
Deprecation can take many forms, from a blistering opinion piece in the newspaper criticizing a political figure to your mom's subtle facial expression that tells you she wishes you'd worn a clean shirt to church. Self-deprecation is when you criticize yourself or put yourself down. A more old-fashioned meaning of this word is "a prayer to avert evil," from the Latin deprecari, "to avert by prayer" or "to pray away."
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a prayer to avert or remove some evil or disaster
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the act of expressing disapproval (especially of yourself)synonyms: denigration
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Vocabulary lists containing deprecation
In this play inspired by the Greek myth of Pygmalion, Professor Henry Higgins bets that he can transform Eliza Doolittle, a poor flower seller, into a cultured and genteel lady.
This acclaimed novel retells the myth of Circe, a witch banished to a remote island.
Based on the life and poems of Nezahualcoyotl, this historical fiction is told from the perspective of the 15th-century king of Tetzcoco, as he goes from being a teenage crown prince, to hunted refugee, to triumphant warrior and family man.