deprecate
Definitions
To express strong disapproval of; to plead against or argue that something is unwise.
表示强烈反对；不赞成，认为某事不妥。
(computing) To officially mark a feature, function, or API as outdated and discouraged, though it may still work for now.
（计算机）正式将某功能、函数或 API 标记为过时、不建议使用（虽暂时仍可运行）。
To belittle or play down, especially oneself (as in self-deprecating).
贬低、轻描淡写，尤指贬低自己（如 self-deprecating 自贬的）。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedde- (away) + prec (pray) + -ate (verb) = "to pray away." Romans deprecated a calamity by begging the gods to keep it off. The praying dropped out but "pleading against" remained, giving the core sense "to express disapproval of." Modern computing borrowed that exact gesture: to deprecate an API is to officially plead against its use — "please stop relying on this; it's on its way out." And to be self-deprecating is to plead against your own importance, talking yourself down.
Root prec still carries 4 more wordsWhy It Means This
Deprecate began as a religious act: de- "away" + precari "to pray" = praying that a disaster be averted. From "praying something away" it became "arguing against" something — to deprecate a plan is to disapprove of it. The computing sense is a neat modern extension: software "deprecates" an old function by formally saying "don't use this anymore," exactly the gesture of pleading something out of use. Note it is not the same word as depreciate (lose value), though the two are constantly mixed up.
Usage Guide
- General/formal: deprecate a practice, deprecate violence — express disapproval; sounds bookish.
- Computing (very common): "This method is deprecated" — officially outdated, still works but avoid it; you'll see it constantly in docs and warnings.
- self-deprecating (set phrase): self-deprecating humor / a self-deprecating remark — making fun of yourself; usually a positive, likeable trait.
- Do NOT confuse with depreciate (= fall in value, as a car depreciates). Deprecate = disapprove/discourage; depreciate = lose value.
Example Sentences
- 1.
The committee deprecated any use of force to settle the dispute.
- 2.
This function has been deprecated; use the new API instead.
- 3.
She has a charming, self-deprecating sense of humor about her own mistakes.
- 4.
He tends to deprecate his own achievements, calling them "pure luck."
Easily Confused
deprecate vs. depreciate: the classic mix-up. Deprecate = disapprove of / discourage (a deprecated API, a self-deprecating joke). Depreciate = fall in value (a new car depreciates fast). They sound almost identical but mean different things — if it's about money or value dropping, it's depreciate; if it's about disapproving or marking-as-outdated, it's deprecate.
Synonym Comparison
- deprecate — formally disapprove of or discourage; in tech, mark as outdated
- condemn — strong, public, moral denunciation
- disapprove of — general, everyday rejection of something
- belittle — actively make something/someone seem less important (closer to the self-deprecating sense)
- discourage — try to talk someone out of doing something