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:
It warned against "acts that tend to depreciate or impair the national currency, including any conduct that undermines its lawful value or use".
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Authorities also can depreciate the currency to bolster exports.
From The Wall Street Journal ● 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
This just doesn’t work for my family,’” and end up trading in a car with thousands of dollars in negative equity — a more severe problem with EVs, which depreciate in value quickly.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 25, 2026
However, Delaunay was a man of talent, and studious, and he was well informed in all the improvements of science, so to depreciate him would be injustice.
From The Fourth Estate, vol.1 by Armando Palacio Vald?s
Remolona pointed to prior episodes where the peso depreciates sharply just as oil prices surged, fueling inflation and prompting the BSP to step in.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 24, 2026
As the car gets older, its value depreciates — leading to borrowers paying more than the market value of their vehicle.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 23, 2025
If the rupee depreciates, fuel costs more, with knock-on effects for goods that are transported or manufactured.
From BBC ● Feb. 9, 2023
"However, there is risk of a more aggressive BI should core inflation surge in response to this price hike or if the IDR depreciates significantly."
From Reuters ● Sep. 8, 2022
The elegance of his dedications shows that had he wished he could have written excellent prose.122 One who depreciates him allows that his style is “pure and free from violent metaphors and harsh constructions.”
From Philip Massinger by A. H. Cruickshank
The Reserve Bank of India unveiled several measures over the weekend to arrest a slide in the rupee, which has depreciated about 6.5% against the dollar this year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 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
The yen depreciated about 17% against the dollar over the past four years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
Continental money had so depreciated that forty dollars were scarcely equal in value to one silver dollar.
From Famous American Statesmen by Sarah Knowles Bolton
The strait won’t be worthless, but it’s a depreciating asset.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
Hardware is not depreciating on schedule, and renting has stopped getting cheaper fast enough to matter.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
Buying equity stakes rather than owning depreciating fleets softens that, but the line between “demand layer” and “co-investor in hardware” thins with each deal.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 24, 2026
Perhaps the disappearance of history’s icons from a depreciating currency isn’t a fatal blow to the canon of British culture.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 16, 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
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
