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disapproval

UK[dɪsəˈpɹuːvəɫ]US/dɪsəˈpɹuvəl/
nounB2+Occasional — familiar, but not everyday · #9,939 of 15,258leans written

Disapproval is the feeling that something is wrong or unacceptable. Voice disapproval, a look of disapproval, general disapproval.

It is one of the strongest forces shaping behaviour and it works without a word being said — a look does it. It differs from disagreement, which is about facts, in being about conduct. Note disapprove; and that the prefix dis- reverses approve rather than negating it.

Definitions of disapproval

  1. 1noundisapprovalThe feeling that something is wrong or unacceptable.B2+

    “She shook her head in disapproval when he lit a cigarette at the table.”

disapproval is a judgement.

Where it comes from

From disapprove + -al.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in Word Building

Practise this word

disapproval in the wild

  • Disapproval voting is any electoral system that allows many voters to express formal disapproval simultaneously, in a system where they all share some power.

    Disapproval voting

  • Combined approval voting (CAV) is an electoral system where each voter may express approval, disapproval, or indifference toward each candidate.

    Combined approval voting

  • The winner is the candidate with the highest score, which is determined by subtracting the number of disapproval votes from the number of approval votes.

    Combined approval voting

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

  • prove
  • approve
  • approval
  • disprove
  • disapprove