devaluation

noun

de·​val·​u·​a·​tion (ˌ)dē-ˌval-yə-ˈwā-shən How to pronounce devaluation (audio)
-yü-ˈā-
1
: an official reduction in the exchange value of a currency by a lowering of its gold equivalency or its value relative to another currency
2
: a lessening especially of status or stature : decline

Examples of devaluation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In the second quarter of 2024, Warner Bros. Discovery took a $9.1 billion charge against earnings related to the devaluation of the company’s TV networks. Todd Spangler, Variety, 4 June 2025 Farmers had reacted to the 1972 devaluation of the dollar — when President Richard Nixon ended the Bretton Woods international payments system — by bidding up land prices year after year. Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 27 Apr. 2025 Internally, the devaluation of rial and soaring inflation rate are threatening his entire presidency and without sanctions relief nothing will change. David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025 Tariffs by themselves cause a dollar appreciation, not a depreciation, and a lot of the fiscal policy that the Trump administration is pursuing would also cause an appreciation of the U.S. dollar, not a devaluation of the U.S. David D. Stewart: Is there any advantage to reducing trade deficits? Tax Notes Staff, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for devaluation

Word History

First Known Use

1914, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of devaluation was in 1914

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Cite this Entry

“Devaluation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/devaluation. Accessed 9 Jun. 2025.

Legal Definition

devaluation

noun
de·​val·​u·​ation (ˌ)dē-ˌval-yə-ˈwā-shən How to pronounce devaluation (audio)
1
: an official reduction in the exchange value of a currency by a lowering of its gold equivalency or its value relative to another currency
2
: a lessening of the value of something (as an asset)
portfolio devaluation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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