DISAPPROVE

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does disapprove mean? 

• DISAPPROVE (verb)
  The verb DISAPPROVE has 2 senses:

1. consider bad or wrong

2. deem wrong or inappropriate

  Familiarity information: DISAPPROVE used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DISAPPROVE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they disapprove    ... he / she / it disapproves   
Past simple: disapproved   
Past participle: disapproved   
-ing form: disapproving   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Consider bad or wrong

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Hypernyms (to "disapprove" is one way to...):

evaluate; judge; pass judgment (form a critical opinion of)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "disapprove"):

frown on; frown upon (look disapprovingly upon)

discountenance (show disapproval by discouraging)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Antonym:

approve (judge to be right or commendable; think well of)

Derivation:

disapproval (a feeling of disliking something or what someone is doing)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Deem wrong or inappropriate

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

disapprove; reject

Context example:

I disapprove of her child rearing methods

Hypernyms (to "disapprove" is one way to...):

evaluate; judge; pass judgment (form a critical opinion of)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "disapprove"):

object (express or raise an objection or protest or criticism or express dissent)

deprecate (express strong disapproval of; deplore)

deter; discourage (try to prevent; show opposition to)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Antonym:

approve (give sanction to)

Derivation:

disapproval (the act of disapproving or condemning)

 Context examples 

My uncle disapproved it all so entirely when he did arrive, that in my opinion everything had gone quite far enough.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

You disapprove of me still, I see.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

But I think girls ought to show when they disapprove of young men, and how can they do it except by their manners?

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

“Were it certain that Lady Catherine would think so,” said Mr. Collins very gravely—“but I cannot imagine that her ladyship would at all disapprove of you.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

But at length she was secured by the exertions of Elinor, who greatly disapproved such continual seclusion.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

“That is easy—but Miss Fairfax does not disapprove it, I suppose.”

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

Nevertheless, while she disapproved of them, the strength of their utterance, and the flashing of eyes and earnestness of face that accompanied them, always thrilled her and drew her toward him.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

I only say, he resumed, addressing me, that I disapprove of your preferring such company as Mistress Peggotty, and that it is to be abandoned.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Jim’s misgivings were so far correct that my uncle did very strongly object to any intimacy between us; but there were so many other points in which he disapproved of my conduct, that it made the less difference.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

He could not help giving Mrs. Norris a hint of his having hoped that her advice might have been interposed to prevent what her judgment must certainly have disapproved.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)