deplorable
English · Español · Deutsch · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
deplorable
- /dɪˈplɔːɹəbl̩/ UK
- /dəˈplɔɹəb(ə)l/ US
Where it comes from
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”.
adjective more deplorable · most deplorable
-
To be felt sorrow for; worthy of compassion; lamentable.
We were all saddened by the deplorable death of his son.
Similar: deplorate, pathetic, atrabiliary, atrabilious, deplorable, depressing, distressing, grievous, heartbreaking, heartrending, miserable, lamentable
-
Deserving strong condemnation; shockingly bad, wretched.
Poor children suffer permanent damage due to deplorable living conditions and deplorable treatment by law enforcement.
Similar: damnable, scornworthy
noun deplorables
- A person or thing that is to be deplored. [W]hat better is an old fellow, mauled with rheumatism and other deplorables.
- A supporter of Donald Trump. He [Donald Trump] did not say who “the guys” were—but [John Maguire] Dowd knew he meant the Trump base, the crowds at his rallies, the Fox News watchers, the deplorables.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: miserable, wretched, execrable, pitiful, woeful, lamentable, bad, sad, distressing, condemnable, inferior, reprehensible, wrong, criminal, sorry, detestable
Translations
Every language
adj to be felt sorrow for; worthy of compassion — see also lamentable
| Español | deplorable, lamentable |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 嘆かわしい nagekawashii |
| Português | deplorável, lamentável |
| Deutsch | bedauerlich, bedauernswert, beklagenswert |
| Ελληνικά | αξιοθρήνητος axiothrínitos, αξιολύπητος axiolýpitos, λυπηρός lypirós |
| Română | deplorabil, lamentabil, nenorocit |
| Русский | несча́стный nesčástnyj, приско́рбный priskórbnyj |
adj deserving strong condemnation; shockingly bad — see also wretched
| Español | deplorable |
|---|---|
| Português | deplorável, desprezível |
| Français | déplorable, lamentable, pitoyable |
| Deutsch | miserabel, schimpflich, skandalös, verdammungswürdig, verdammenswert, (verdammenswert) erbärmlich |
| Italiano | deplorabile, deplorevole, deprecabile |
| Ελληνικά | οικτρός oiktrós, ελεεινός eleeinós, άθλιος áthlios |
| Română | deplorabil |
| Русский | плаче́вный plačévnyj, скве́рный skvérnyj |
Talk about this word "deplorable." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/deplorable. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. deplorable. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/deplorable "deplorable." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/deplorable.Cite this
@misc{deplorable_2026,
title = {deplorable},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/deplorable},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
