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"Deprecate" = to express disapproval of, or to mark as obsolete (in tech); "depreciate" = to lose economic value, or to belittle.
Side-by-side comparison
"Deprecate" means to express disapproval of something, or to mark something as obsolete. In computing, a "deprecated" function is one marked for removal.
The API endpoint has been deprecated and will be removed in version 3.0, please migrate to the new endpoint.
The committee deprecated the practice of sharing confidential data through unencrypted email.
The old payment method was deprecated in favor of a more secure authentication flow.
"Depreciate" means to lose economic value over time. A car depreciates the moment it leaves the dealership. Also to belittle or undervalue something.
New cars typically depreciate by 20% in the first year after purchase.
Inflation causes the currency to depreciate, reducing purchasing power for ordinary people.
She worked hard not to depreciate the team's achievements, always crediting everyone involved.
Common mistake
- •"The value of the house has deprecated" is wrong: a fall in economic value always uses "depreciate".
- •"Deprecated" in technology marks a function as obsolete; "depreciated" in finance means the value has fallen.
- •They are never interchangeable in those contexts.
Trick to remember it
- •"Depreciate" = decrease in PRICE, the value falls.
- •"Deprecate" = declare obsolete or disapprove.
- •DeprecIATE = "I Am losing value".
- •DeprecATE = you declared something outdated or disapproved.
Quick rule
- •"Deprecate" = to disapprove of / to mark as obsolete (technology).
- •"Depreciate" = to lose economic value / to belittle.
Did you know?
In classical English, "deprecate" meant "to pray against something happening" (from Latin "deprecari" = to pray against). Today its most common use is in software documentation, where a "deprecated" function is a warning that developers must migrate their code before the function is removed in a future version. Google, Apple, and Microsoft use "deprecated" across millions of technical documentation pages.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
New cars _____ quickly. After just one year, they lose a lot of their value.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
That function is _____ d in the new version of the software. You should stop using it.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
'Criterion' is the singular (one standard); 'criteria' is the plural (two or more standards).
'Precede' means to come before something in time or order; 'proceed' means to continue forward or carry on with something.
"Above" is at a higher level without contact; "over" implies covering, movement, or crossing.
'Currently' means 'at the present time'; 'actually' means 'in reality', not 'nowadays'.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy