denigrative

adjective

Definition of denigrativenext
as in insulting
intended to make a person or thing seem of little importance or value thanked her for the gift and then added the denigrative aside, "Not that it's anything special!"

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for denigrative
  1. insulting
  2. malicious
  3. critical
  4. degrading
  5. abusive
  6. demeaning
  7. contemptuous
  8. derogatory
Adjective
  • The target of the anger and scorn in all the insulting posters, slogans, and graffiti of the protest zone was not the education minister but Modi himself.
    — Asim Ali, Time, 1 Aug. 2026
  • The big reveal that Rey was really the still-not-dead Emperor’s grand-daughter was incoherent and kind of insulting.
    — Adam Frank, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of insulting
Adjective
  • These errors can cause crashes or enable attackers to exploit memory vulnerabilities, risking data corruption or executing malicious code.
    — Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • Elijah Bieniemy, who is 27 and is a graduate of Olathe Northwest High School, has been charged with malicious wounding, use of a firearm during the commission of a felony and discharge of a firearm inside of a dwelling.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 31 July 2026
Definition of malicious
Adjective
  • The consensus is that for critical business functions, success depends on rigorously validated, specialized AI tailored to specific workflows, rather than broad, general-purpose solutions.
    — TerDawn DeBoe, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • Instead, most Republicans stood firm in a critical hearing with an administration waging a hugely unpopular war, while Democrats highlighted the gap between its premature victory laps and the current stalemate.
    — Arpita Dasika, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
Definition of critical
Adjective
  • Federal authorities have subjected record numbers of immigrants to mandatory detention, including in inhuman and degrading conditions, while gutting internal oversight mechanisms.
    — Minky Worden, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
  • Detainees recounted degrading and inhumane living conditions that included bathrooms covered in feces, flooded housing units and no access to soap or other basic hygiene supplies, according to the report.
    — Michael Biesecker, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026
Definition of degrading
Adjective
  • Attorneys representing Emmanuel Haro's 3-year-old claimed Riverside County failed to protect the children from their abusive parents, ultimately leading to the 7-month-old's death last year.
    — Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 31 July 2026
  • Her attorneys have alleged that Obumseli was abusive and argued that Clenney was a battered partner.
    — Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of abusive
Adjective
  • No ask is too demeaning, no self-sabotaging client too difficult.
    — Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 29 July 2026
  • Some wives and girlfriends balk at the label, calling it demeaning shorthand that gives short shrift to a woman’s own worth.
    — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 22 July 2026
Definition of demeaning
Adjective
  • The Larson campaign became openly contemptuous of Bronin at the May convention.
    — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 25 July 2026
  • The man didn’t catch Serena’s contemptuous expression, however, too busy peeling bills from a money clip and pressing them into his date’s hand.
    — Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 30 June 2026
Definition of contemptuous
Adjective
  • The staff member leading the group says the man cussed at them, shouted derogatory names and continued to reference guns.
    — Olivia Young, CBS News, 31 July 2026
  • Saar equipped an Aunt Jemima Black mammy figurine with a rifle alongside her broom, and placed a derogatory postcard in front of it featuring another Black mammy with a mulatto child.
    — Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 28 July 2026
Definition of derogatory
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

denigrations
denigrative
denigrator
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Denigrative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/denigrative. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

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