From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdeprecatedep‧re‧cate /ˈdeprɪkeɪt/ verb [transitive] formal DISAPPROVECRITICIZEto strongly disapprove of or criticize something —deprecation /ˌdeprɪˈkeɪʃən/ noun [uncountable]→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
deprecate• He shrugged his shoulders and smiled as if deprecating his lack of education.• L.G. rather deprecated that saying he was not in love with it.• Surely Mr Stewart doesn't deprecate the value of children's television?• Javits deprecated the violence that had occurred during the demonstrations.• Dealers have felt a need to deprecate their own firms' values, to disassociate themselves from them.Origin deprecate (1600-1700) Latin deprecari “to keep off by prayer”, from precari “to pray” 