depreciate
Americanverb (used with object)
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depreciates,
present (3rd person singular)
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depreciated,
past participle, past
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depreciating
present participle
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to reduce the purchasing value of (money).
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to lessen the value or price of.
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to claim depreciation on (a property) for tax purposes.
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to represent as of little value or merit; belittle.
verb (used without object)
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depreciates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
depreciated,
past participle, past
-
depreciating
present participle
verb
-
to reduce or decline in value or price
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(tr) to lessen the value of by derision, criticism, etc; disparage
Commonly Confused
See deprecate
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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depreciatornoun
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predepreciateverb
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redepreciateverb
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underdepreciateverb (used with object)
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depreciatoryadjective
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nondepreciatingadjective
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undepreciatedadjective
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depreciatinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
depreciatesimple
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depreciatessimple
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have depreciatedperfect
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has depreciatedperfect
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am depreciatingprogressive
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are depreciatingprogressive
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is depreciatingprogressive
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have been depreciatingperfect progressive
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has been depreciatingperfect progressive
Past
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depreciatedsimple
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had depreciatedperfect
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was depreciatingprogressive
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were depreciatingprogressive
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had been depreciatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of depreciate
First recorded in 1640–50; from Late Latin dēpretiātus “undervalued” (past participle of dēpretiāre; in Medieval Latin spelling dēpreciāre ), equivalent to Latin dē- “away from, out of” + preti(um) “price” + -ātus past participle suffix; see de-, price, -ate 1
Explanation
Something depreciates when it loses value. If you bought shares of a company for $10 each a year ago and now they’re worth $1 each, guess what: they have depreciated. One of the most frustrating things about buying a car is the way it loses value. As soon as you drive it off the lot, your new car has already depreciated by several thousand dollars. Though usually used like this as a financial term, depreciate can also be used as the similar-sounding but unrelated word deprecate meaning "to belittle, lower in esteem." Your teachers should not depreciate you just because you don't always know the answers to their questions!
Vocabulary lists containing depreciate
"The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry
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"The Gift of the Magi"
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How Low Can You Go? Synonyms for "Downward"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The amount actually recovered in cases like this often falls well short of the amount embezzled - especially if the money has been spent on consumables, holidays, and luxury goods that depreciate.
From BBC ● May 26, 2026
Another meaningful tailwind for emerging-markets stocks is an expectation that the dollar will depreciate.
From MarketWatch ● May 11, 2026
The cost of maintaining military superiority is rising as technological innovation accelerates, even as traditional military capital like tanks, ships, and aircraft become more vulnerable and depreciate faster.
From Barron's ● Apr. 27, 2026
Electric vehicles depreciate in value faster than traditional cars, meaning buyers can get a good deal on a used EV that hasn’t been on the road for long.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026
It served him as a weapon when he wished to depreciate Llera's schemes, though he would afterwards avail himself of them, and owed to them considerable additions to his wealth.
From Froth by Armando Palacio Vald?s
And when it comes to vehicles, remember that a car also depreciates in value.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 7, 2026
They note that if the won depreciates by 1%, Hyundai’s annual operating profit would increase by 2%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 11, 2025
If the rupee depreciates, fuel costs more, with knock-on effects for goods that are transported or manufactured.
From BBC ● Feb. 9, 2023
But the strategy has shown cracks since November, sources have told Reuters, with prices rising quickly as the country's bolivar currency depreciates against the U.S. dollar.
From Reuters ● Jan. 23, 2023
She by no means, you will see, depreciates her own charms.
From Rossmoyne by Unknown
The yen depreciated about 15% against the dollar over the past four years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
The won has depreciated almost 6% against the dollar this year, despite similar yields BX:AMBMKKR-10Y, lower inflation, a huge current account surplus and record exports.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 9, 2026
Having sat unused in a police yard for over three years, it will have depreciated sharply - perhaps to less than half its original price.
From BBC ● May 26, 2026
According to recent data from the AfDB, the currencies of 29 African countries have already depreciated, increasing the cost of servicing external debt, making imports more expensive and reducing foreign exchange reserves,
From Barron's ● Apr. 4, 2026
We cannot bring prosperity by cheapening money; we cannot increase our wealth by adding to the volume of a depreciated currency.
From The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 8 (of 12) Dresden Edition?Political by Robert Green Ingersoll
On balance, Gave is minded to forecast the yen’s depreciating days may be ending.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
If the tax turns these high-priced apartments into depreciating assets, prices of smaller apartments will have to rise to make up for it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
Elevated capex levels also present the risk of saddling Amazon with depreciating chips and servers that will send expenses soaring in future years.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 13, 2026
The current wave of protests began after shopkeepers in Tehran went on strike over the rising cost of living and the depreciating value of the currency.
From BBC ● Jan. 15, 2026
A flush of crimson crept modestly to her cheeks, and she made a depreciating moue.”
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
