What does decry mean?
Word: Decry
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Decry means to say publicly and strongly that something is bad or wrong.
How do you spell decry?
Syllables: de - cry
Tricky part: The long i sound at the close is spelt with a y. Pupils write decrie or decri because they expect an i.
Watch out for: decrie, decri, decrye
Memory tip: Try not to decry anything unfairly, and carry the y over from try.
Decry in a sentence
Example 1: Many doctors decry the amount of sugar in fizzy drinks.
Example 2: Teachers often decry the habit of copying homework from the internet.
Example 3: Older players sometimes decry the short format, yet they enjoy watching it too.
Fun Fact
English took this word from French in the 1600s. Long before that, its French ancestor could simply mean to announce something in public; the sense of finding fault is the one that stayed.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
d_c_y
a) e, l
b) e, r
c) i, r
d) a, r
Show answer
b) e, r. The word begins like decode, and an r comes just before the y.
Word Cookie
One letter in this word is not needed. Find it:
deccry
a) d
b) c
c) y
d) r
Show answer
b) c. Two c's are wrong in this short word, so one of them has to go.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word decry as used in the sentence:
Local residents decry the plan to build a car park over the old playground.
a) criticise
b) condemn
c) praise
d) denounce
Show answer
c) praise. To praise something is to speak well of it, the reverse of what these residents are doing.
Spell-o-Spell
One word in the list is misspelt and three are spelt correctly. Choose what the misspelt word means.
1. compliment 2. admire 3. applawd 4. decry
a) to say something kind about someone
b) to clap to show that you enjoyed something
c) to respect and look up to someone
d) to speak out hard against something
Show answer
b) to clap to show that you enjoyed something. Applawd should read applaud, with au in the middle.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A newspaper column decries the litter on Marina Beach. What is the writer's attitude?
a) simply unsure about it
b) quietly amused by it
c) strongly against it
d) rather proud of it
Show answer
c) strongly against it
2. Which line might someone say while decrying a new rule?
a) Please tell me when this rule starts.
b) What a sensible idea this rule is.
c) This rule is unfair and it has to go.
d) I have not read this rule at all.
Show answer
c) This rule is unfair and it has to go.
