as in insulting
intended to make a person or thing seem of little importance or value
fans made a steady stream of derogatory remarks about the players on the visiting team
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of derogatory
The two half-brothers had argued frequently, taunted one another online, and called each other derogatory names, both sides agreed.
—
Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
Stryker took aim at people who insisted on using the creature as a derogatory metaphor.
—Thomas Page McBee, Travel + Leisure, 16 Sep. 2025
Barham is not heard saying anything derogatory about Islam.
—Niraj Warikoo, Freep.com, 12 Sep. 2025
Kilmar Abrego Garcia's legal team asked a federal judge on Thursday to issue a gag order blocking Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem from making derogatory comments about him in public.
—Sonam Sheth
anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for derogatory
Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
Stryker took aim at people who insisted on using the creature as a derogatory metaphor.
—Thomas Page McBee, Travel + Leisure, 16 Sep. 2025
Barham is not heard saying anything derogatory about Islam.
—Niraj Warikoo, Freep.com, 12 Sep. 2025
Kilmar Abrego Garcia's legal team asked a federal judge on Thursday to issue a gag order blocking Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem from making derogatory comments about him in public.
—Sonam Sheth
anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for derogatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for derogatory
Adjective
-
To educate all of them in similar ways is insulting, and silly.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Sep. 2025
-
Perkins said the drink bore the insulting message.—
Victoria Moorwood,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The intensity of Irish expressions of solidarity in 2024 caused one pro-Israel commentator, Ben Cohen, to coin the term Paddystinian as a derisive epithet to counter the narrative, conflating the pejorative stereotype of the drunken Paddy with Palestine.—
Philip Metres
August 27,
Literary Hub,
27 Aug. 2025
-
In fact, locals use a different (and pejorative) term for the other versions: arroz con cosas, or rice with things.—
Sofia Perez,
Forbes.com,
10 July 2025
Adjective
-
For decades, Indigenous leaders and advocates across the state and country have been trying to convince school communities that the use of such mascots and logos are inappropriate, demeaning and harmful.—
Frank Vaisvilas,
jsonline.com,
29 Aug. 2025
-
One detainee who submitted an account to the court that was referenced by Gregorio described sleeping in foul-smelling facilities and facing demeaning treatment by ICE agents.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
12 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Lorena, now 55, was charged with malicious wounding, a felony offense, but was found not guilty by reason of temporary insanity following a two-week trial in early 1994.—
Mark Gray,
PEOPLE,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
And there would be lots of soldiers around, either Army or National Guard, and the people who were civilians would be young people, very disparaging about the military.—
Steve Baltin,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
-
The 2023 Economic Report Of The President published in March of 2023 was relatively disparaging of cryptoassets and DLTs.—
Lawrence Wintermeyer,
Forbes,
5 Dec. 2024
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
Adjective
-
Charles Rolsky, executive director and senior research scientist at the Shaw Institute, a nonprofit focusing on the links between environmental and human health, says that many studies, including his own, suggest PVA can pass through wastewater treatment without completely degrading.—
Matt Fuchs,
Time,
29 Sep. 2025
-
The mission emphasized that detaining adolescents under such conditions amounts to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
23 Sep. 2025
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
Cite this Entry
“Derogatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/derogatory. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share