Meaning & use

decry

verb·Academic

To publicly criticize or express strong disapproval of something considered wrong or harmful.

See it in a sentence

Environmental groups decried the company's plan to dump waste into the river.

The editorial decried the lack of funding for public schools in the district.

A note on using this word

Decry is more formal than "criticize" and typically implies a public, often forceful statement of disapproval.

Words with a similar meaning

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Words with an opposite meaning

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