DENIGRATIVE Synonyms: 78 Similar and Opposite Words

denigrative

adjective

Definition of denigrative

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

Adjective

Considering there were only 33 appearances this past season, such Heat prudence hardly could be viewed as insulting.

— Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 20 June 2026
What Florence has been doing is consistent and insulting.

— Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 19 June 2026

Definition of insulting

Adjective

On this occasion, OpenAI appears to have been transparent about its involvement in the incident and is working alongside Hugging Face to respond, but defenders need to prepare for a world where such tools are in the hands of openly malicious actors.

— Tim Keary, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
Skubal did not say those words about the MRI and the arbitration hearing with any malicious tone.

— Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 22 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

In each social-commentary-teetering-on-horror episode, Nanno is a pupil at a different school, picture perfect and scanning the room for whatever secrets — an abusive teacher, an absurd hierarchical system, petty jealousy — demand to be revealed.

— Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026
Quiroz-Mata in his appeal argued that Reyes is abusive to him and alienating his child from him, the order states.

— Grant Lancaster, Arkansas Online, 15 July 2026

Definition of abusive

Adjective

This is demeaning, unfair, and dangerous to women and girls, and denies women and girls the equal opportunity to participate and excel in competitive sports.

— Jon Root OutKick, FOXNews.com, 27 June 2026
Some women who filed lawsuits against Ortega reported they had been confused about whether demeaning or uncomfortable actions the doctor engaged in during exams was within the bounds of necessary medical behavior.

— Emily Hoerner, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2026

Definition of demeaning

Adjective

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
The fantasy of transforming a cold or contemptuous man through the sheer force of one’s love has caused real harm, and the critique of it is warranted.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 29 June 2026

Definition of contemptuous

Adjective

Silvia Federici, a longtime feminist writer, thinker and professor, said that gossip's derogatory transformation reflected societal shifts.

— Jaclyn Diaz, NPR, 16 July 2026
Trump has repeatedly made derogatory and racist comments about immigrants, including calling them criminals and falsely saying that Haitians eat cats and dogs.

— Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 10 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

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“Denigrative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/denigrative. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of denigrative

adjective

Example Sentences

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