Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

depopulate

/diˈpɑpjəleɪt/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.72 in modern English

Syllables
de-pop-u-late
IPA
/diˈpɑpjəleɪt/
15
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
4
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To reduce the population of a region by disease, war, forced relocation etc.

Transitive verb

verb

To remove the components from a circuit board.

Transitive verb

verb

To become depopulated, to lose its population.

Intransitive verb

adj

Depopulated (sense 1).

Obsolete

Example Sentences

Etymology

First attested in 1531; borrowed from Latin dēpopulātus, perfect active participle of dēpopulor (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)). Compare depeople, French dépeupler, Italian spopolare, Spanish despoblar, Portuguese despovoar and Romanian despopora; by surface analysis, de- + populate. Participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.

Origin

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /diˈpɑpjəleɪt/
  • British English: /diːˈpɒpjəleɪt/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce depopulate?
The recorded pronunciation is /diˈpɑpjəleɪt/.
What does depopulate mean?
To reduce the population of a region by disease, war, forced relocation etc.
Where does depopulate come from?
First known use: First attested in 1531.

How to pronounce depopulate

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “depopulate”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/diˈpɑpjəleɪt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “depopulate”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “depopulate” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.