To criticize unfairly or speak badly of someone or something; to express disapproval or censure.
From the prefix des- (un-, dis-) combined with praise, following the pattern of other dis- verbs. This is an archaic or rare word in modern English.
Medieval texts use 'despraise' to mean undeserved criticism, revealing how writers distinguished between justified critique and malicious slander—a distinction we've mostly lost with modern words.
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