Disapproval

/ˌdɪsəˈpruːvəl/

nounmedium📊CommonEmotion
1 meaning1 idiom/phrase3 questions

Definitions

1

The act of disliking or not accepting something; the state of being disapproved.

/ˌdɪsəˈpruːvəl/

nounnegativemedium
Emotion

The act of not approving of someone or something

The boss showed his disapproval of the employee's late arrival.

💡 Simply: It's like when you don't like or agree with something someone does or says. Imagine your mom doesn't like the messy room you left. That's her disapproval!

👶 For kids: When someone doesn't like something you did.

More Examples

2

There was a general air of disapproval surrounding the controversial new law.

3

She received a look of disapproval from her mother when she said something rude.

How It's Used

General

"The teacher expressed her disapproval of the students' behavior."

Politics

"Public disapproval of the new policy was widespread."

Family

"She felt her parents' disapproval when she decided to quit her job."

Synonyms & Antonyms

Idioms & expressions

a look of disapproval

An expression showing that you do not approve of something.

"The teacher gave the student a look of disapproval when he was talking during the lesson."

From Middle English *disaproval*, from dis- (expressing negation or reversal) + approval. Approval itself derives from Latin *approbare* meaning 'to approve'.

The word disapproval has been used since the late 16th century, initially reflecting moral or social judgments.

Memory tip

Think of the opposite of approval - DISAPPROVAL

Word Origin

LanguageLatin
Original meaning

"dis- (reversal) + approval (to accept or praise)"

express disapprovalshow disapprovalpublic disapprovala look of disapprovalvoice disapproval

Common misspellings

disaprovaldisaprovaldisaproveal

Usage

40%Spoken
60%Written