Decry — De*cry , v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Decried}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Decrying}.] [F. d[ e]crier, OF. descrier; pref. des (L. dis ) + crier to cry. See {Cry}, and cf. {Descry}.] To cry down; to censure as faulty, mean, or worthless; to clamor against; to… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
decry — decry, depreciate, disparage, derogate, detract, belittle, minimize mean to write, speak, or otherwise indicate one s feeling in regard to something in such a way as to reveal one s low opinion of it. Decry implies open or public condemnation or… … New Dictionary of Synonyms
decry — decry, descry are related in origin but now have widely different meanings. To decry something is to disparage or deplore it • (She decries the spread of tower blocks and the failure to turn derelict sites into green spaces Evening Standard,… … Modern English usage
decry — [dē krī′] vt. decried, decrying [Fr décrier < OFr descrier: see DE & CRY] 1. to speak out against strongly and openly; denounce [to decry religious intolerance] 2. to depreciate (money, etc.) officially SYN. DISPARAGE decrial … English World dictionary
decry — I verb admonish, be unable to respect, belittle, berate, bring discredit on, bring into disrepute, censure, censure as faulty, clamor against, condemn, condemn as worthless, contemn, criticize, cry down, cry out against, declaim against, degrade … Law dictionary
decry — 1610s, from Fr. decrier (14c.; O.Fr. descrier cry out, announce ), from de down, out (see DE (Cf. de )) + crier to cry. In English, the sense has been colored by the presumption that de in this word means down … Etymology dictionary
decry — [v] criticize, blame abuse, asperse, badmouth*, belittle, calumniate, censure, condemn, cry down, defame, denounce, depreciate, derogate, detract, devalue, diminish, discount, discredit, disgrace, disparage, do a number on*, downgrade, dump on*,… … New thesaurus
decry — ► VERB (decries, decried) ▪ publicly denounce. DERIVATIVES decrier noun. ORIGIN originally in the sense «decrease the value of coins by royal proclamation»: from French décrier cry down … English terms dictionary
decry — transitive verb Etymology: French décrier, from Old French decrier, from de + crier to cry Date: 1614 1. to depreciate (as a coin) officially or publicly 2. to express strong disapproval of < decry the … New Collegiate Dictionary
decry — decrier, n. /di kruy /, v.t., decried, decrying. 1. to speak disparagingly of; denounce as faulty or worthless; express censure of: She decried the lack of support for the arts in this country. 2. to condemn or depreciate by proclamation, as… … Universalium
decry — de•cry [[t]dɪˈkraɪ[/t]] v. t. cried, cry•ing 1) to disparage openly 2) to depreciate by proclamation, as coins • Etymology: 1610–20; < F décrier, de•cri′al, n. de•cri′er, n. syn: decry, denigrate, deprecate involve the expression of censure or … From formal English to slang
