diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 6e7cbc519368f8d9ff68aaed01a5aaeab30be3e5..690ab13b88de72e26406aee205e64a425d69d330 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ jobs:
                 python-version: '3.x'
         -   name: "Main Script"
             run: |
-                EXTRA_INSTALL="pymbolic matplotlib"
+                EXTRA_INSTALL="pymbolic"
                 curl -L -O -k https://gitlab.tiker.net/inducer/ci-support/raw/master/prepare-and-run-pylint.sh
                 . ./prepare-and-run-pylint.sh "$(basename $GITHUB_REPOSITORY)" test/test_*.py
 
diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 82757f6676ad244edeb609d1db01d693c22fd143..463450507fc68b074a22f5b4016c4826244f5ebd 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ Mypy:
 
 Pylint:
   script:
-  - EXTRA_INSTALL="pymbolic matplotlib"
+  - EXTRA_INSTALL="pymbolic"
   - py_version=3
   - curl -L -O -k https://gitlab.tiker.net/inducer/ci-support/raw/master/prepare-and-run-pylint.sh
   - . ./prepare-and-run-pylint.sh "$CI_PROJECT_NAME" test/test_*.py
diff --git a/.pylintrc-local.yml b/.pylintrc-local.yml
index a78cc33c4ad038785444eb92fa3f23a125bf72d4..8cb3aa72495ee15c342e82f9c340807bbd2c18c2 100644
--- a/.pylintrc-local.yml
+++ b/.pylintrc-local.yml
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
 - arg: ignore
   val:
     - mpiwrap.py
+- arg: ignored-modules
+  val:
+  - matplotlib
diff --git a/pytools/__init__.py b/pytools/__init__.py
index 950e0014d0c66fe433a756a45288de575bac1a55..7f88a5e95ce7a73dad339eb984a7baba23341051 100644
--- a/pytools/__init__.py
+++ b/pytools/__init__.py
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ THE SOFTWARE.
 """
 
 
-from functools import reduce
+from functools import reduce, wraps
 import operator
 import sys
 import logging
@@ -120,6 +120,11 @@ Name generation
 .. autofunction:: generate_numbered_unique_names
 .. autoclass:: UniqueNameGenerator
 
+Deprecation Warnings
+--------------------
+
+.. autofunction:: deprecate_keyword
+
 Functions for dealing with (large) auxiliary files
 --------------------------------------------------
 
@@ -174,6 +179,69 @@ F = TypeVar("F", bound=Callable[..., Any])
 # }}}
 
 
+# {{{ code maintenance
+
+class MovedFunctionDeprecationWrapper:
+    def __init__(self, f, deadline=None):
+        if deadline is None:
+            deadline = "the future"
+
+        self.f = f
+        self.deadline = deadline
+
+    def __call__(self, *args, **kwargs):
+        from warnings import warn
+        warn(f"This function is deprecated and will go away in {self.deadline}. "
+            f"Use {self.f.__module}.{self.f.__name__} instead.",
+            DeprecationWarning, stacklevel=2)
+
+        return self.f(*args, **kwargs)
+
+
+def deprecate_keyword(oldkey: str,
+        newkey: Optional[str] = None, *,
+        deadline: Optional[str] = None):
+    """Decorator used to deprecate function keyword arguments.
+
+    :arg oldkey: deprecated argument name.
+    :arg newkey: new argument name that serves the same purpose, if any.
+    :arg deadline: expected time frame for the removal of the deprecated argument.
+    """
+    from warnings import warn
+
+    if deadline is None:
+        deadline = "the future"
+
+    def wrapper(func):
+        @wraps(func)
+        def inner_wrapper(*args, **kwargs):
+            if oldkey in kwargs:
+                if newkey is None:
+                    warn(f"The '{oldkey}' keyword is deprecated and will "
+                            f"go away in {deadline}.",
+                            DeprecationWarning, stacklevel=2)
+                else:
+                    warn(f"The '{oldkey}' keyword is deprecated and will "
+                            f"go away in {deadline}. "
+                            f"Use '{newkey}' instead.",
+                            DeprecationWarning, stacklevel=2)
+
+                    if newkey in kwargs:
+                        raise ValueError(f"Cannot use '{oldkey}' "
+                                f"and '{newkey}' in the same call.")
+
+                    kwargs[newkey] = kwargs[oldkey]
+                    del kwargs[oldkey]
+
+            return func(*args, **kwargs)
+
+        return inner_wrapper
+
+    return wrapper
+
+# }}}
+
+
 # {{{ math --------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 def delta(x, y):
@@ -778,7 +846,6 @@ def memoize_method_nested(inner):
             "Use @memoize_in(self, 'identifier') instead", DeprecationWarning,
             stacklevel=2)
 
-    from functools import wraps
     cache_dict_name = intern("_memoize_inner_dic_%s_%s_%d"
             % (inner.__name__, inner.__code__.co_filename,
                 inner.__code__.co_firstlineno))
@@ -827,8 +894,6 @@ class memoize_in(object):  # noqa
         self.cache_dict = memoize_in_dict.setdefault(identifier, {})
 
     def __call__(self, inner):
-        from functools import wraps
-
         @wraps(inner)
         def new_inner(*args):
             try:
@@ -1465,23 +1530,6 @@ def get_write_to_map_from_permutation(original, permuted):
 # }}}
 
 
-# {{{ code maintenance
-
-class MovedFunctionDeprecationWrapper:
-    def __init__(self, f):
-        self.f = f
-
-    def __call__(self, *args, **kwargs):
-        from warnings import warn
-        warn("This function is deprecated. Use %s.%s instead." % (
-            self.f.__module__, self.f.__name__),
-            DeprecationWarning, stacklevel=2)
-
-        return self.f(*args, **kwargs)
-
-# }}}
-
-
 # {{{ graph algorithms
 
 from pytools.graph import a_star as a_star_moved