pejorative

1 of 2

noun

pe·​jo·​ra·​tive pi-ˈjȯr-ə-tiv How to pronounce pejorative (audio)
-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 How to pronounce pejorative (audio)
-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.

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 History1989
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
President Richard Nixon’s structural changes to the international monetary system were shorthanded as Nixonomics, while Carternomics was mostly a pejorative deployed to remember an era of painful inflation. Michael Sasso, Fortune, 15 Aug. 2023 The White House has labeled the president’s new economic campaign Bidenomics, a portmanteau that until now has been a pejorative used by Republicans and conservative news outlets primarily to underscore inflation. Reid J. Epstein, New York Times, 29 June 2023 Their efforts added a new pejorative to the English language: to bowdlerize. Harry Bruinius, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 July 2023 To some Huntsville diners, vegetarian/vegan is a pejorative. Matt Wake | Mwake@al.com, al, 25 July 2023 And that pejorative is so mainstream, that even Michelle Obama said it. The Foretold Team, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2023 In internet speak, that descriptor isn’t a pejorative. Kalhan Rosenblatt, NBC News, 23 Apr. 2023 The acronym itself became a pejorative. C.j. Chivers, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2023 But when used by non-Romani people, the G-word is a pejorative. The Foretold Team, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2023
Adjective
But Dynasty was not the first time her name was associated with the pejorative term. Jason Sheeler, Peoplemag, 1 Nov. 2023 The e-word was originally a pejorative term, leveled at D.C. hardcore bands Rites of Spring and Embrace, whose members grew tired of yelling about Ronald Reagan and decided to interrogate their own feelings; their live shows became legendary for band and audience members openly weeping. Michael Tedder, Rolling Stone, 14 Aug. 2023 While the monument may have initially been built to celebrate McCain's 1967 capture, McCain admirers have laid flowers at the monument for years in a showing of respect to the late senator, and a pejorative reference to McCain was dropped from the monument in 2015. Gabrielle Settles, USA TODAY, 25 July 2023 In a familiar pattern, people subjected to pejorative terms can seize on them and flaunt them as a badge of pride. John McIntyre, The Christian Science Monitor, 31 July 2023 Read full article Life has never been easy in England for Irish Travellers or for Gypsies, as many still refer to themselves (elsewhere, many view the term as pejorative and prefer Roma or Romany). Eric Nagourney, BostonGlobe.com, 15 July 2023 Indeed, throughout the 1980s and 1990s, high-profile rap groups such as N.W.A and artists like DMX similarly used pejorative language against members of the gay and lesbian community. Matthew Oware, The Conversation, 5 June 2023 For Trump, his entire campaign is about contrasts — he’s attacked DeSantis as disloyal and not conservative enough, with pejorative nicknames to boot. Chuck Todd, NBC News, 2 June 2023 That era has been damned with a pejorative label: the Gilded Age. Phil Gramm, wsj.com, 7 May 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pejorative.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of pejorative was in 1882

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Dictionary Entries Near pejorative

Cite this Entry

“Pejorative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pejorative. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.

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