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
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Many researchers cite those exact words as insulting or wrong when asked about their own terminations.—
STAT Staff,
STAT,
29 Dec. 2025 -
With two toddlers and a 10-hour workday for her husband, the advice was more insulting than helpful.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
7 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Their faltering attempt at a total crackdown—which can’t muzzle the anger and bravery of ordinary people—and its general odor of malicious incompetence, is even seeping into the White House’s hermetic media echo chamber.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
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Just like the ClickFix attacks, this malicious trickery is all about running commands that almost all users would never think to do in normal circumstances.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Hillis Schild, executive director of the fund, said such projects meet critical community needs, but often struggle to secure traditional bank financing.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Nick Geller, managing director of Steadfast LA, highlighted the organization’s emphasis on protecting critical community infrastructure.—
Michelle Edgar,
Daily News,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
For coastal communities, the result can crash fish stocks, threatening jobs in fishing and processing and degrading marine ecosystems, which makes coastal areas less attractive for tourism and recreation.—
Hossain Ahmed Taufiq,
The Conversation,
15 Jan. 2026
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As advertised, Episode 1 was wildly degrading for contestants and weirdly nostalgic for viewers.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The federal agency was tasked with creating and enforcing rules to protect consumers from abusive practices across a range of financial institutions.—
Nick Coltrain,
Denver Post,
27 Jan. 2026
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Back home, their physically abusive father stalks the shadowy hallways.—
Blake Simons,
IndieWire,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Other Natives found the video demeaning when it was circulated.—
Ian Frazier,
New Yorker,
19 Jan. 2026
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That demeaning statement has proven both accurate and inaccurate, depending on the president’s relationship with the vice president, their skill set, experience, and political ambition.—
Myra Adams,
Washington Post,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Thompson, meanwhile, savors every contemptuous glare and hateful retort Anna regularly supplies.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
8 Jan. 2026
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All of these flaws are conveniently overlooked by the purveyors of all of these instruments and done so in a way that is contemptuous of those who would contest it or even quibble with it.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
30 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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During the incident, the woman pushed him, shoved a shopping cart at him and made derogatory remarks, according to police.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
13 Jan. 2026
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Reale joked that he’s been called plenty of derogatory names through the years by surfers in the water competing for waves.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
13 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Denigrative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/denigrative. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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