denigratory

adjective

Definition of denigratorynext
as in insulting
intended to make a person or thing seem of little importance or value a denigratory observation that the novel wasn't half bad—considering it was written by an actor

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for denigratory
  1. insulting
  2. derogatory
  3. malicious
  4. pejorative
  5. uncomplimentary
  6. demeaning
  7. deprecatory
  8. degrading
Adjective
  • At the end of the last cruise, everyone shunned me, except for Roy, who instead was cruel and insulting to me.
    — Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 6 Aug. 2026
  • This struck Stevens and her allies as immature, insulting, and more than a little sexist.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of insulting
Adjective
  • One man waved a sign with a derogatory message toward those in support of Cunningham.
    — Ryan Gaydos OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Trump routinely mocks Newsom and refers to the governor using a derogatory nickname, while Newsom taunts the president with frequent social media posts.
    — Darlene Superville, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of derogatory
Adjective
  • The company wants advanced cybersecurity models to strengthen digital defenses by helping security teams identify and fix vulnerabilities before malicious actors can exploit them.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Their job is to hack devices and patch exploits before malicious actors do.
    — Justyn Newman, PC Magazine, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of malicious
Adjective
  • And of course, didn’t have any pejorative meaning at all then.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 4 Aug. 2026
  • With that in mind, is ring chasing, used as a pejorative, dead after this?
    — Dan Woike, New York Times, 31 July 2026
Definition of pejorative
Adjective
  • Neither party admitted to liability and each agreed to refrain from making disparaging, negative or uncomplimentary statements about the other, the document said.
    — Lorraine Mirabella, Baltimore Sun, 29 July 2022
  • Though the pollen gunk will pass, he's concerned by a contingent of Twitter trolls who've shared uncomplimentary reviews of his recent North American tour.
    — Jordan Runtagh, PEOPLE.com, 21 Jan. 2022
Definition of uncomplimentary
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
  • This subsided with unusual speed, however, as cricket fans took instead to sharing the self-deprecatory jokes coming over the border.
    — The Economist, The Economist, 22 June 2019
  • Philipps has acquired her 1-million-and-growing Instagram followers through her self-deprecatory humor, raw honesty and vulnerability.
    — Sonja Haller, USA TODAY, 11 July 2018
Definition of deprecatory
Adjective
  • The State Department had designated and sanctioned Ghezel Hesar Prison in 2024 for gross human rights violations and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of prisoners.
    — Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 29 July 2026
  • Even worse, researchers accused Fable 5 of selectively degrading responses related to advanced AI development, providing less useful information on subjects that could aid competing developers and independent researchers.
    — James Marks, Fortune, 23 July 2026
Definition of degrading
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

denigrators
denigratory
denims
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Cite this Entry

“Denigratory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/denigratory. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

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