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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of derogatory
Clairemont High School’s new mascot will be the Captains, after a name change process prompted by a state law addressing names and mascots derogatory to Native Americans.
—
Jemma Stephenson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
In the video, one person could be heard calling out derogatory names, and another person told Moreno to get a gun before three shots rang out.
—Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 20 Feb. 2026
Court documents show Shadbar, who is white, yelled several derogatory racist and sexist slurs at his neighbors and had regularly harassed the family, including firing blank rounds toward Robertson’s home and throwing an M-80 type of firework over the fence into her yard.
—Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
Oklahoma State’s win over BYU was overshadowed by allegations of derogatory fan chants.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for derogatory
Jemma Stephenson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
In the video, one person could be heard calling out derogatory names, and another person told Moreno to get a gun before three shots rang out.
—Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 20 Feb. 2026
Court documents show Shadbar, who is white, yelled several derogatory racist and sexist slurs at his neighbors and had regularly harassed the family, including firing blank rounds toward Robertson’s home and throwing an M-80 type of firework over the fence into her yard.
—Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
Oklahoma State’s win over BYU was overshadowed by allegations of derogatory fan chants.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for derogatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for derogatory
Adjective
-
Prestianni, who has denied racially insulting Vinícius and has been defended by Benfica, was provisionally suspended for one match by UEFA and did not play in the second leg.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 Mar. 2026
-
According to the Tourette Association of America, between 10 and 15% of people living with the disorder have vocal tics that may include disturbing, insulting or inappropriate language, including swear words and slurs.—
Anastasia Tsioulcas,
NPR,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Over the years, the term has come to have a slightly pejorative slant, signifying a marginal kook who never quite made it into leading-lady territory.—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
2 Feb. 2026
-
The Premier League’s set-piece evolution has taken on slightly pejorative connotations.—
Conor O'Neill,
New York Times,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
First of all, that’s a little bit demeaning to truck drivers.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Yet another quilt depicts a blackface minstrel as a reminder of whites who masqueraded as Blacks on Vaudeville and perpetuated demeaning stereotypes.—
Susan DeGrane,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The attack also bears similarities to the tactics of a Russian bad actor group that targeted Russian Wiki pages years ago, suggesting the malicious Javascript originated from a much earlier vandalism campaign.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
5 Mar. 2026
-
In testimony Tuesday, Jared Birchall, Musk’s longtime business manager and confidante, said that his boss’s tweets four years ago were prompted by frustration, and not a malicious effort to sink the stock.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Conservative pundit Meghan McCain blasted commentator Tucker Carlson after a guest on his podcast and online show this week made a disparaging remark about her weight.—
Dominick Mastrangelo,
The Hill,
5 Dec. 2025
-
Emily’s father didn’t say it in a disparaging way—more like That was just Ryan.—
Jamie Thompson,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
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
-
Former detainees and human rights organizations have documented systematic torture and severe abuses inside the facility, including beatings, electric shocks, suspension by limbs, prolonged stress positions and other degrading treatment.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
31 Jan. 2026
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Currently the funds spent by governments and the private sector on destroying biodiversty and degrading cosystems like forests and seagrasses are 30 times larger than the flows supporting conservation, restoration and protection of the natural world.—
Nick Nuttall,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
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 10 Mar. 2026.
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