pejorative

1 of 2

noun

pe·​jo·​ra·​tive pi-ˈjȯr-ə-tiv 

-ˈjär-,

 also  ˈpe-jə-rə-tiv,

 or  ˈpē-,

 or  -ˌrā-,

 or  ˈpej-rə-,

 or  ˈpēj-

: a word or phrase that has negative connotations (see connotation sense 1) or that is intended to disparage or belittle : a pejorative word or phrase

pejorative

2 of 2

adjective

pe·​jo·​ra·​tive pi-ˈjȯr-ə-tiv 

-ˈjär-,

 also  ˈpe-jə-rə-tiv,

 or  ˈpē-,

 or  -ˌrā-,

 or  ˈpej-rə-,

 or  ˈpēj-

: having negative connotations (see connotation sense 1)

especially : tending to disparage or belittle : depreciatory

pejoratively adverb

Did you know?

"If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." Parents have given that good advice for years, but unfortunately many people haven't heeded it. The word pejorative makes it clear that both English and Latin speakers have long known that disparaging words can make a bad situation worse. Pejorative derives from the Late Latin adjective pējōrātus, which in turn comes from the Latin verb pējōrāre, meaning "to make or become worse." Although pejorative words have probably always been part of English, the adjective pejorative has only been found in English texts since the late 1880s. Before then, English speakers could rely on older synonyms of pejorative such as derogatory and uncomplimentary to describe disparaging words.

Synonyms

Adjective

• belittling
• contemptuous
• decrying
• degrading
• demeaning
• denigrative
• denigratory
• deprecatory
• depreciative
• depreciatory
• derisory
• derogative
• derogatory
• detractive
• disdainful
• disparaging
• scornful
• slighting
• uncomplimentary

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

But before long, the term had been repurposed by those outside of that initial community for use as a pejorative. —Mikelle Street, Them., 1 May 2025

That word 'weird' was used as a pejorative [to describe] me by everyone: by my parents, family, friends, teachers. —Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 4 Feb. 2025

Adjective

All of the plaintiffs accused Robinson's wife, Frances Robinson, who is also named as a defendant, of perpetuating a hostile work environment by screaming at them and using ethnically pejorative language. —Phil Helsel, NBC news, 8 May 2025

But by and large, being ‘on the beach’ remains a pejorative label. —Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

noun derivative of pejorative entry 2

Adjective

borrowed from New Latin pējōrātīvus, from Late Latin pējōrātus, past participle of pējōrāre "to make worse, aggravate" (derivative of Latin pējor "inferior, worse," going back to *ped-yos-, comparative of *ped-, extracted from *ped-tu- "a fall, falling") + Latin -īvus -ive — more at pessimism

First Known Use

Noun

1882, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

circa 1888, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for pejorative

• explorative
• restorative

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