disapprobation

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 16, 2023 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>disapprobation</strong> &#149; \dis-ap-ruh-BAY-shun\&nbsp; &#149; <em>noun</em><br /> <p><em>Disapprobation</em> refers to the act or state of disapproving or of being disapproved of.</p> <p>// There was widespread <em>disapprobation</em> of the city's plan to slash educational funding.</p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disapprobation">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>"Set in 19th-century Western Australia at the height of the pearl trade, this book paints a nuanced portrait of the era as the backdrop for a feminist epic. In her debut novel, [author Lizzie] Pook introduces us to Eliza Brightwell, a pearler's daughter living in the fictional Bannin Bay of Western Australia. Eliza stands out from the other women of Bannin Bay because of both her plain looks and her independent personality. She's the sort to walk around town in battered boots rather than ride in a carriage like other ladies of her class, much to the <em>disapprobation</em> of the townsfolk." — <em>Kirkus Reviews</em>, 15 Apr. 2022</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p><em>Disapprobation</em> is not only a synonym of <em>disapproval</em> but a relative as well. Both words were coined in the 17th century by adding the prefix <em>dis-</em>, meaning "the opposite or absence of," to existing "approving" words: synonyms <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/approbation"><em>approbation</em></a> and <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/approval"><em>approval</em></a>. The ultimate source of the foursome is the Latin verb <em>approbare</em>, meaning "to approve." Another descendant of <em>approbare</em> is <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/approbate"><em>approbate</em></a>, which means "to express approval of for