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  1. deprecatory love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. adj. Expressing disapproval or criticism.
  2. adj. Mildly disparaging or uncomplimentary, especially of oneself.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. Serving or intended to deprecate or avert some threatened evil or action; characterized by entreaty or protest intended to avert something evil or painful.
  2. n. A deprecating speech or act.

Wiktionary

  1. adj. That deprecates; apologetic or disparaging

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. adj. Tending to remove or avert evil by prayer; apologetic.
  2. adj. Serving to deprecate; expressing a low opinion of.

WordNet 3.0

  1. adj. tending to diminish or disparage

Etymologies

  1. deprecate +‎ -ory (Wiktionary)

Examples

  • “As the handsome and distinguished-looking bridegroom stood before the altar awaiting the entrance of his bride, it were almost sacrilege to utter a word deprecatory or otherwise.”

    Marguerite Verne

  • “A flaccid, unwholesome-looking hand was raised slowly, in a kind of deprecatory gesture; then allowed to fall again upon the belly where it lay, with the five fingers, round and chalky-white, extended like the rays of a starfish.”

    South Wind

  • “A gravely sedate demeanour would have seemed the more fitting facial expression for his age and the generally accepted nature of his calling, -- a kind of deprecatory toleration of the sunshine as part of the universal 'vanity' of mundane things, -- or a condescending consciousness of the bursting apple-blossoms within his reach as a kind of inferior earthy circumstance which could neither be altered nor avoided.”

    God's Good Man

  • “What put that idea into your head? "replied my father, with a kind of deprecatory smile.”

    Desk and Debit or, The Catastrophes of a Clerk

  • “Ninety-nine times out of 100 when I have heard Mexicans use the word 'gringo' it's in a way that is deprecatory or worse, usually preceded by 'pinche' -- in other words, designed to be taken as an offense.”

    GRINGOS AND GRINGAS....what's in an appelation?

  • “At a nod from him, the semicircle seated itself on the manienie grass, and with further deprecatory smiles waited his pleasure.”

    THE BONES OF KAHEKILI

  • “If he follows the Kevin Federline playbook, we can expect to see him playing himself in a self-deprecatory Super Bowl ad, guest starring as an impending corpse on a CBS cop show, and emerging as the surprisingly sane parent after Kate goes on a head-shaving bender.”

    'Kate Plus Eight': What will Jon Gosselin do now? | EW.com

  • “Not at all," he answered, with a deprecatory wave of the hand.”

    Amateur Night

  • “Not so, good Klok-No-Ton," murmured Scundoo, with a deprecatory wave of the hand.”

    THE MASTER OF MYSTERY

  • “The pianist's role is controlling and self-deprecatory, and Lortie was pervasive yet discreet, pulling the other players and us with him into Chausson's bleak world.”

    The Guardian: Lortie/Dumay/Quatuor Ebène

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‘deprecatory’ has been looked up 1870 times, loved by 2 people, added to 12 lists, and has a Scrabble score of 19.