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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of derogatory
The announcement of the 34-year-old Eta’s appointment prompted sexist and derogatory comments on social media, leading Union to push back.
—
ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
Some incels use the term in a derogatory fashion, believing those who aspire to ascension are delusional.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 8 Apr. 2026
Which, basically, is a GEEK, or NERD, or BLERD (a Black nerd), or FANBOY, or FANGIRL, none of which are used here in any derogatory way, and are generally interchangeable.
—Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
Gun owners immediately flooded Healey’s X site with derogatory comments about her long record of opposing gun rights.
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 21 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for derogatory
ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
Some incels use the term in a derogatory fashion, believing those who aspire to ascension are delusional.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 8 Apr. 2026
Which, basically, is a GEEK, or NERD, or BLERD (a Black nerd), or FANBOY, or FANGIRL, none of which are used here in any derogatory way, and are generally interchangeable.
—Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
Gun owners immediately flooded Healey’s X site with derogatory comments about her long record of opposing gun rights.
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 21 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for derogatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for derogatory
Adjective
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For filmmakers who view their individual work as the center of gravity, this can sit somewhere between confusing and insulting.—
Dana Harris-Bridson,
IndieWire,
15 Apr. 2026
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Survivors rejected the offer, calling it insulting.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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British writers’ disdainful accounts of the Rathayatra led, metonymically, to a pejorative sense of a juggernaut as a massive crushing vehicle, which was later extrapolated to its present meaning in English usage.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
31 Mar. 2026
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But even scholars often employ the term as a pejorative, used to describe authoritarian government.—
David A. Graham,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Her pictures, which start innocently enough from the puppy-dog idea, get increasingly demeaning.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
20 Apr. 2026
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Leadership was abusive, inappropriate and demeaning, employees told The Denver Post.—
Sam Tabachnik,
Denver Post,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Benjamin Parris, also 19, of Greenville, South Carolina, is charged with two counts of malicious destruction of property of $1,000 or more but less than $20,000 and two counts of conspiracy to commit malicious destruction of property of $1,000 or more but less than $20,000.—
Joseph Buczek,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2026
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Instead of using obvious malicious code, the attackers built the installer with legitimate tools and layered the attack in stages.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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While Trump’s talk of a possible NATO pullout dates back years, the comments to The Telegraph newspaper in the U.K., published Wednesday, were among the clearest and most disparaging yet — suggesting that the fracture has deepened perhaps to a point of no return.—
Jill Lawless,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2026
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The irony is that Trump has been more disparaging and dismissive of the military than any other president.—
Joe Garofoli,
San Francisco Chronicle,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
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There’s an adjustment period — percale can feel crisp at first — but most people acclimate within a week or two and find cotton softens further with every wash, rather than pilling or degrading like synthetics.—
Allison Palmer,
Charlotte Observer,
21 Apr. 2026
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Most people acclimate within a week or two, and cotton gets softer with every wash rather than pilling or degrading.—
Allison Palmer,
Miami Herald,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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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
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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 30 Apr. 2026.
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