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Definition
lower the value of something — especially over timeArchaic Usage: At one time, depreciate was also commonly used to mean belittle, but today deprecate has replaced that usage.
- The dollar depreciated relative to the yuan.
- Although the rental house increased in value, they were able to depreciate it for tax purposes.
- They can claim a profit by depreciating equipment over 20 years, but many analysts believe the equipment will be nearly valueless in 10 years.
- Far be it from me, my dear sister, to depreciate such pleasures.Austen, Jane -- Pride and Prejudice
- If only you could realize the absolute absurdity of any of you attempting to depreciate a person so immeasurably above youOppenheim, E. Phillips -- The Illustrious Prince
- But a car is a consumable item, not an asset. Esther's not investing the money she puts into it, because it will automatically begin to depreciate.Sarah Dessen -- Along for the Ride
- Had the queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window some day to dry just to depreciate Her Majesty's jewels and gifts.O. Henry -- The Gift of the Magi
- Will Helen's condition depreciate the property?"E.M. Forster -- Howards End
- To this Mary very gravely replied, "Far be it from me, my dear sister, to depreciate such pleasures!Jane Austen -- Pride and Prejudice
- But what further depreciates the whale as a civilized dish, is his exceeding richness.Herman Melville -- Moby Dick
- I depreciated Paris; I depreciated France.Charles Dickens -- David Copperfield
- 'No one has a right to talk in that manner, and I won't hear my brother depreciated in silence!'Emily Bronte -- Wuthering Heights
- And I resolve, for my part, not to depreciate him.'Charles Dickens -- Little Dorrit
- "Ah, depreciate other persons' dinners; you ministers give such splendid ones."Alexandre Dumas -- The Count of Monte Cristo
- My debtors were failing, the paper money was depreciating.David McCullough -- John Adams
- It's based naturally on a depreciated figure for a clear safety margin.Frank Herbert -- Dune
- But uncle Pullet, when entreated to exhibit his accomplishment, never depreciated it by a too-ready consent.George Eliot -- The Mill on the Floss
- Just as it belonged to his boastfulness to depreciate his own extraction, so it belonged to it to exalt Mrs. Sparsit's.Charles Dickens -- Hard Times
- Lack of private and public confidence has depreciated property.Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, & John Jay -- The Federalist Papers — Modern English Edition 2
- It can depreciate their value, especially if the females are going to purchased for breeding.Alexs Pate -- Amistad
depreciate = decrease in value over time
depreciate = belittle (show as less valuable)