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deplorable

adj.
C1 Advanced US //dɪˈpɫɔɹəbəɫ// UK //dɪplˈɔːɹəbəl// de·plorable Vulgar

adj. very bad and shocking. You use this to describe behavior or conditions that are so poor they deserve to be criticized.

adj. deserving strong condemnation; shockingly bad in quality or morality.


SIMPLE

The living conditions in the old prison were deplorable.

CONTEXTUAL

The committee issued a report describing the company's safety record as deplorable and demanding immediate changes.

COMPLEX

Historians have often reflected on the deplorable treatment of political prisoners during that era, noting the systematic disregard for basic human rights.

Synonyms
Origin

PIE word *de The adjective is borrowed from French déplorable (“lamentable, regrettable”), or from its etymon Late Latin dēplōrābilis + English -able (suffix meaning ‘relevant to, suitable to’). Dēplōrābilis is derived from Latin dēplōrō (“to bemoan, complain about; to bewail, lament, deplore”) + -ābilis (suffix meaning ‘able or worthy to be’); while dēplōrō is from dē- (intensifying prefix) + plōrō (“to cry out; to complain; to lament, deplore”) (possibly from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₃(w)- (“to flow; to swim”)). By surface analysis, deplore + -able. The noun is derived from the adjective. Noun sense 2 refers to a campaign speech by the American politician and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton (born 1947) during the 2016 United States presidential election calling half of the supporters of her Republican opponent Donald Trump (born 1946) a “basket of deplorables”.

Usage

Typically used to modify nouns representing conditions, behavior, or standards; often follows a linking verb like 'be' or 'remain'.

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