Definition of DEROGATORY

What is a derogatory Credit Report?

When derogatory first began to be used in English it had the meaning “detracting from the character or standing of something.” It comes from the verb derogate, which can be traced to the Latin word derogare (“to detract” or “to annul (a law)”). Derogatory quickly took on the additional meaning “disdainful, disparaging,” as may be seen in the word’s frequent use in “derogatory comment.” Derogatory is increasingly seen today in credit reports, although it should not be taken as a credit card company making unkind comments on the character of the cardholder. In this context it refers to something (such as a late payment, foreclosure, or bankruptcy) that will have a negative effect on a person’s credit score.

Examples of derogatory in a Sentence

The aroma of wine made from Concord … grapes is often described as "foxy," a wine term as derogatory as it is vague. — Danny May et al., Berkshire Home Style, March 2007 In Powell's memoir, Lemann points out, terms like "expert" and "academic" are clearly derogatory. — Franklin Foer, New Republic, 5 Feb. 2001 Unfortunately, the codes were badly explained and ham-handedly enforced. At Michigan an interpretive guide called "What Students Should Know … " went beyond the scope of the actual code in saying that even a derogatory comment … would be punished by the university. — Laurence R. Stains, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 1993 fans made a steady stream of derogatory remarks about the players on the visiting team

Recent Examples on the Web

Many analysts here long argued that Mr. Bolsonaro could never win the presidency, partly because of his derogatory comments against gay people, women and minorities. — Samantha Pearson And Luciana Magalhaes, WSJ, "Brazil Voters Buck Status Quo With Rise of Right-Wing Firebrand," 8 Oct. 2018 There’s a big difference between assault and derogatory comments. — David Roberts, Vox, "What so many men are missing about #MeToo," 10 Sep. 2018 But President Donald Trump and his press secretary Sarah Sanders insisted they were also owed an apology from ABC for airing derogatory comments about the administration. — Kevin Liptak, CNN, "White House: 'No one's defending' Roseanne, but Trump still owed apology," 30 May 2018 Officials said James Nice was accused of making derogatory comments that were racial in nature, and the Akron Beacon Journal reported he is accused of coercing a female employee into a relationship. — Evan Macdonald, cleveland.com, "Former Akron police chief expected to plead guilty to misdemeanor charge," 13 Feb. 2018 And November midterm elections in the U.S. bring the possibility that Trump could return to the rhetoric of his presidential campaign that was derogatory toward Mexico. — Washington Post, "Pompeo travels to Mexico to meet new leftist president-elect," 13 July 2018 And November midterm elections in the U.S. bring the possibility that Trump could return to the rhetoric of his presidential campaign, which was derogatory toward Mexico. — Susannah George, BostonGlobe.com, "We can’t afford to replace empathy with apathy," 13 July 2018 And when the governor made derogatory remarks about teachers who had protested and succeeded in convincing lawmakers to greatly water down the pension bill, he was widely criticized within his own party. — Tom Loftus, The Courier-Journal, "Matt Bevin bashes Andy Beshear but won't say he's in governor's race," 10 July 2018 The last tweet from the Jarrod W. Ramos Twitter account, made Thursday, included a derogatory remark aimed at a judge who wrote the appeals-court decision. — Cameron Mcwhirter, WSJ, "Capital Gazette Staff Warned Years Ago to Call 911 if They Saw Shooting Suspect," 29 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'derogatory.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.