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
Examples of pejorative in a Sentence
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
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
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
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
Podcast
Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP
Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!
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.
Copy Citation
More from Merriam-Webster on pejorative
Nglish: Translation of pejorative for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of pejorative for Arabic Speakers
Share