decry

Etymology

C. 1600, from Middle French decrier (“to denigrate; depreciate”), from Old French descrier (“to shout”) (modern décrier). Doublet of descry. The pejorative meaning had not been present in the Middle English loan, but it was present in the French word from at least the 13th century, with a meaning of "to denigrate; depreciate; to announce the depreciation or suppression of a currency", presumably from the interpretation of de- as meaning "down, inferior".

verb

1. (transitive) To denounce as harmful.
   All of us seem to need some totalistic relationships in our lives. But to decry the fact that we cannot have only such relationships is nonsense. 1970, Alvin Toffler, Future Shock: Bantam Books, page 99
   While decrying bureaucracy and demanding participatory democracy they, themselves, frequently attempt to manipulate the very group of workers, blacks or students on whose behalf they demand participation. 1970, Alvin Toffler, Future Shock: Bantam Books, page 474
   For London, Beeching decries the low fares, resulting in an inability to justify investment in capacity enhancement despite severe overcrowding. March 8 2023, Gareth Dennis, “The Reshaping of things to come...”, in RAIL, number 978, pages 47–48
2. (transitive) To blame for ills.