Definition

1. Noun:
   • The act of expressing disapproval or criticism, especially of oneself: "Deprecation" refers to the action of belittling, disparaging, or expressing strong disapproval, often in a modest or self-critical manner.
   • (Archaic) A prayer or entreaty to avert or ward off evil or disaster: In older or religious contexts, it can mean a humble plea or supplication for divine intervention to prevent harm.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Expression of disapproval):
  • His constant deprecation of his own achievements made it hard for others to compliment him.
  • The tone of the review was one of severe deprecation.
• Noun (Archaic prayer):
  • The ancient text contained a deprecation to the gods for protection. (This usage is rare in modern English.)

Advanced Usage

• Self-deprecation: This is a very common compound form, referring specifically to the act of belittling or undervaluing oneself, often humorously.
  • Her speech was full of witty self-deprecation, which made the audience warm to her.
• In software development: In technical contexts (e.g., Python, HTML), "deprecation" refers to the process of marking a feature, function, or standard as obsolete and slated for future removal, discouraging its use.
  • The API documentation includes a deprecation warning for the old function.

Variants and Related Words

• Deprecate (verb): To express disapproval of; to belittle.
  • The committee voted to deprecate the proposed policy.
• Deprecatory (adjective): Expressing disapproval or criticism; apologetic.
  • He made a deprecatory remark about his cooking skills.
• Deprecated (adjective): (In computing) Strongly discouraged from use because it is obsolete or potentially harmful.
  • This method is now deprecated; please use the new one instead.

Synonyms

• Disparagement: The act of speaking about someone or something in a belittling way.
• Criticism: The expression of disapproval based on perceived faults or mistakes.
• Condemnation: The expression of very strong disapproval; censure.

Antonyms

• Praise: The expression of approval or admiration.
• Commendation: Formal or official praise.
• Endorsement: An act of giving one's public approval or support.

Related Phrases

• A note of deprecation: A tone or element of criticism within a statement.
  • He added a note of deprecation about the project's early failures.
• In deprecation of: As an expression of disapproval towards something.
  • She spoke in deprecation of their reckless behavior.

Noun

1. the act of expressing disapproval (especially of yourself)
2. a prayer to avert or remove some evil or disaster