What does "derogate" mean?
To partially repeal (a law etc.).
Derogate
/ˈdɛɹəɡeɪt/ adj, verb
adj, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To partially repeal (a law etc.).
- Grammar: derogate is listed as adj, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: belittle, abate, abrade, abstract.
- Useful contrasts: commend, enhance, extol.
- Usage evidence: By several contrary customs, […] many of the civil and canon laws are controlled and derogated.
How to use "derogate"
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- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "derogate" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "derogate" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "derogate" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "derogate" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "derogate" is acting as adj, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "belittle" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "derogate", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To partially repeal (a law etc.). transitive
"By several contrary customs, […] many of the civil and canon laws are controlled and derogated."
- 2 cause to seem less serious; play down wordnet
- 3 To detract from (something); to disparage, belittle. transitive
"I never thought the human frailty of erring in cases of religion, infamy to a state, no more than to a council: it had therefore been neither civil nor christianly, to derogate the honour of the state for that cause [...]."
- 4 To take away (something from something else) in a way which leaves it lessened. ambitransitive
"Anything […] that should derogate, minish, or hurt his glory and his name."
- 5 To detract from (a quality of excellence, authority etc.). intransitive
"In doing so she had derogated from her dignity and committed herself."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To act in a manner below oneself; to debase oneself. intransitive
"CLOTEN. Is it fit I went to look upon him? Is there no derogation in't? SECOND LORD. You cannot derogate, my lord."
Adjective
- 1 Derogated, annulled in part. obsolete
"The once made oblation of Christes is herby derogate, when this sacramentall oblation and offering of thankes geuing is beleued to be propiciatory, and that it purgeth the soule, as well of the lyuynge as of the deade, agaynst this saying to the Hebrues: with one only oblation he hath made perfect for euer those that are sanctyfyed. Agayne where is remission, there is no more oblation for synnes, making vs cleane by hym."
- 2 Debased, deteriorated. archaic
"It may be ſo, my Lord. Heare Nature, heare deere Goddeſſe, heare : Suſpend thy purpoſe, if thou did'ſt intend To make this Creature fruitfull : Into her Wombe conuey ſtirrility, Drie vp in her the Organs of increaſe, And from her derogate body, neuer ſpring A Babe to honor her."
Example
"By several contrary customs, […] many of the civil and canon laws are controlled and derogated."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "derogate"?
Common synonyms include: belittle, abate, abrade, abstract, abuse, bate.
How do you use "derogate" in a sentence?
By several contrary customs, […] many of the civil and canon laws are controlled and derogated.
How do you pronounce "derogate"?
Pronounced /ˈdɛɹəɡeɪt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Inherited from Late Middle English derogaten, from derogat(e) (“annulled, abrogated”, used participially and later as the past participle of derogaten) + -en (verb-forming suffix) borrowed from Latin dērogātus, perfect passive participle of dērogō (“to annul, repeal part of a law, take away, detract from”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from dē- (“from”) + rogō (“to ask, enquire; to propose a law”). Sporadic participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.
Etymology 2
Inherited from Middle English derogat(e) (“annulled, abrogated”, used participially and later as the past participle of derogaten), see Etymology 1 and -ate (adjective-forming suffix) for more.