pejorative
noun
, -ˈjär- also ˈpe-jə-rə-tiv or ˈpē- or -ˌrā- or ˈpej-rə- or ˈpēj-\
Definition of pejorative
(Entry 1 of 2)
pejorative
adjective
, -ˈjär- also ˈpe-jə-rə-tiv or ˈpē- or -ˌrā- or ˈpej-rə- or ˈpēj-\
Definition of pejorative (Entry 2 of 2)
Keep scrolling for more
Synonyms & Antonyms for pejorative
Synonyms: Adjective
belittling, contemptuous, decrying, degrading, demeaning, denigrative, denigratory, deprecatory, depreciative, depreciatory, derisory, derogative, derogatory, detractive, disdainful, disparaging, scornful, slighting, uncomplimentary
Antonyms: Adjective
commendatory, complimentary, laudative, laudatory
Visit the Thesaurus for More
Examples of pejorative in a Sentence
Adjective
Children born with an extra chromosome 21 are healthy, conspicuously happy and destined to live for many years. But they are not considered, in that pejorative word, 'normal'. — Matt Ridley, Genome, 1999 The word barbarian was used by the Greeks, to designate an alien, and therefore, by definition, someone inferior in culture to a Hellene. The Romans applied this in the pejorative sense to the people who came to live along the Rhine-Danube frontier. — Norman F. Cantor, The Civilization of the Middle Ages, 1993 On occasion they expressed a preference for the terms Latino or Hispanic if that would assist them in escaping from the term Puerto Rican, which became, at times, almost pejorative. — John Hope Franklin, "The Land of Room Enough," 1981, in Race and History, 1989 a word with pejorative connotations the reviewer used the pejorative word “versifier” to refer to the writer, whose poems had struck a responsive chord with the general public
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Some Sonorans, however, consider the term a pejorative, preferring instead tortillas de agua or tortillas grandes. — Patricia Escárcega, latimes.com, "Exploring Hermosillo, northern Mexico’s great unsung food city," 26 June 2019 No one in Anderson uses the term Redskins as a pejorative, or as a way to get a cheap laugh. — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Paul Daugherty: Anderson Redskins debate lacks sensitivity, mutual understanding," 13 June 2018 But plenty of people mentioned the company in the pejorative — saying their practices were the result of introducing a profit motive into the correctional industry. — Tad Vezner, Twin Cities, "Appleton prison proponents try to take ‘private’ out of the debate," 21 Mar. 2017 Simon Tam, front man for The Slants, sought to register the name with the Patent and Trademark Office as a rebuke to those who use it as a pejorative. — WSJ, "Victory for The Slants," 19 June 2017 Yet this, too, feels somehow in keeping with the folk spirit—the reappropriation of a pejorative, the making new of an old idea. — Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, "Keep Folk Music Weird," 19 Apr. 2017 After Republicans began throwing that term around as a pejorative, Mr. Obama embraced it. — Carl Hulse, New York Times, "‘Repeal and Replace’: Words Still Hanging Over G.O.P.’s Health Care Strategy," 15 Jan. 2017Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
That characterization — which the Gophers see as the opposite of a pejorative — has continued from Morgan’s performance in last week’s season-opening 28-21 victory over South Dakota State and into Saturday’s game at Fresno State. — Andy Greder, Twin Cities, "Gophers QB Tanner Morgan is a ‘game manager,’ and that’s a good thing," 5 Sep. 2019 Luck made a selfish decision, but that is no longer a pejorative. — Adam Kilgore, courant.com, "Andrew Luck made a brave decision, and he might inspire other NFL players to do the same," 26 Aug. 2019 In Beijing, that description is regarded not as pejorative but, rather, as the natural order of things. — Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, "China’s Hong Kong Dilemma," 25 Aug. 2019 Most whites lack the privilege of a Booker, Castro, Harris, and Yang, and to lump them into some amorphous blessed class is about as moral and accurate as the old pejorative stereotyping of the non-white. — Victor Davis Hanson, National Review, "Democrats’ Debate Cowardice, Hypocrisy, and Nuttiness," 6 Aug. 2019 So to say this is 11th hour is not a -- is not pejorative. — Fox News, "Kennedy: Kavanaugh is firm that allegation didn't happen," 18 Sep. 2018 That pejorative term generally implies that something is of poor quality, while this video, from its Guitar Hero screen load-ins to its impeccible timing, is well-made, professional, and amazing. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "'The Simpsons' Guitar Hero Turns Steamed Hams Into a Guitar Solo," 2 Nov. 2017 The most thoroughly pejorative of these suffixes is -aster. — Melissa Mohr, The Christian Science Monitor, "When good words turn bad," 28 June 2018 There’s something really specific about being a Hoover and the pejorative term that was multigenerationally tethered to economic hard times, misery and antipathy for the struggles of ordinary people. — New York Times, "Margaret Hoover and John Avlon on their Post-Partisan Marriage," 11 July 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pejorative.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for pejorative
pejorative
adjective