Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To cause to deteriorate; depreciate the value of.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To make worse; to deteriorate or to worsen.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From (the participle stem of) Latin peiorō ("make worse"), from pēior ("worse").

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Examples

Comments

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  • To make worse; depreciate.

    May 12, 2008

  • The exact antonym is "meliorate."

    July 26, 2012