DECRY Synonyms: 114 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'decry' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of decry are belittle , depreciate , and disparage . While all these words mean "to express a low opinion of," decry implies open condemnation with intent to discredit. // decried their defeatist attitude

Q: In what contexts can 'belittle' take the place of 'decry'?

The words belittle and decry are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, belittle usually suggests a contemptuous or envious attitude. // belittled the achievements of others

Q: Where would 'depreciate' be a reasonable alternative to 'decry'?

The words depreciate and decry can be used in similar contexts, but depreciate implies a representing as being of less value than commonly believed. // critics depreciate his plays for being unabashedly sentimental

Q: When would 'disparage' be a good substitute for 'decry'?

Although the words disparage and decry have much in common, disparage implies depreciation by indirect means such as slighting or invidious comparison. // disparaged polo as a game for the rich

decry

verb

di-ˈkrī

Definition of decry next

as in to dismiss

to express scornfully one's low opinion of scientists were quick to decry the claims of the psychic

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to denounce

to declare to be morally wrong or evil a statement by the church decrying modern society's liberal attitude regarding marriage and divorce

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb decry contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of decry are belittle, depreciate, and disparage. While all these words mean "to express a low opinion of," decry implies open condemnation with intent to discredit.

decried their defeatist attitude

In what contexts can belittle take the place of decry?

The words belittle and decry are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, belittle usually suggests a contemptuous or envious attitude.

belittled the achievements of others

Where would depreciate be a reasonable alternative to decry?

The words depreciate and decry can be used in similar contexts, but depreciate implies a representing as being of less value than commonly believed.

critics depreciate his plays for being unabashedly sentimental

When would disparage be a good substitute for decry?

Although the words disparage and decry have much in common, disparage implies depreciation by indirect means such as slighting or invidious comparison.

disparaged polo as a game for the rich

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of decry See the scene at a KCK high school where teens walked out to decry Kansas’ new crackdown on student protests. —

Sofi Zeman may 12, Kansas City Star, 12 May 2026 Critics decried the move as another attempt by Republican election deniers to disenfranchise voters. —

Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026 The shooting prompted protests decrying police shootings, and activists called for the arrest and prosecution of the officer. —

City News Service, Daily News, 7 May 2026 Nearly eighty Mexican cultural figures have signed an open letter decrying the installation of Pedro Reyes’s Tlali in the plaza of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s new David Geffen Galleries. —

News Desk, Artforum, 6 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for decry

Recent Examples of Synonyms for decry

Verb

The court recommended that the petition be dismissed, and that the organizations be given one month to submit the employee lists.

— Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 15 May 2026
Even the foundations of today’s artificial intelligence boom were laid by the NSF in the 1980s and 1990s, when neural networks were a backwater dismissed by mainstream computer science.

— Gautam Mukunda, Twin Cities, 14 May 2026