Synonyms

depreciate

American

[dih-pree-shee-eyt] / dɪˈpri ʃiˌeɪt /

verb (used with object)

to reduce the purchasing value of (money).
to lessen the value or price of.
to claim depreciation on (a property) for tax purposes.
to represent as of little value or merit; belittle.

Synonyms:

minimize, decry, disparage

verb (used without object)

to decline in value.

depreciate British

/ dɪˈpriːʃɪətərɪ, -trɪ, dɪˈpriːʃɪˌeɪt /

verb

to reduce or decline in value or price
(tr) to lessen the value of by derision, criticism, etc; disparage

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Commonly Confused

See deprecate

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Present

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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!

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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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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:

depreciate depreciates depreciated depreciating

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

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

As a result, higher inflation now provides greater scope for the peso to depreciate, potentially pushing prices even higher.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 5, 2026

They disdained the local brands, but even Cuba was powerless to depreciate her cigars, the best of all countries and all times.

From San Crist?bal de la Habana by Joseph Hergesheimer

“If it doesn’t pan out, we have just plunked down a lot of money on the table that depreciates really quickly. And the clock is ticking.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 30, 2025

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

He who depreciates himself is not disposed to turn what there is in him to account.

From Elements of Morals With Special Application of the Moral Law to the Duties of the Individual and of Society and the State by Paul Janet

This means that if a homeowner needs a new roof, the insurer only covers the depreciated value of the roof rather than the entire replacement cost.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 26, 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

Since the crisis erupted, the interest rates at which Romania borrows have risen, and the lei currency has depreciated against the euro, which reached an all-time high of 5.21 Romanian lei on Tuesday.

From Barron's ● May 5, 2026

Rather, these capital assets have to be depreciated over a period of time.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026

But if in his lifetime Martin was over-praised, he was unjustly depreciated afterwards.

From English Painters with a chapter on American painters by S. R. Koehler

The most valuable asset you have now is time — and that is a depreciating asset for all of us.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 19, 2026

The most valuable asset you have now is time — and that’s a depreciating asset for all of us.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 19, 2026

As capital expenditures have skyrocketed, controversies have occasionally flared over companies’ moves to extend the useful lives of the assets they are depreciating.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 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

Here Dad would stop long enough to give his version of a depreciating moue, and hide his face coyly behind an upraised elbow.

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