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
Davidson has Tourette's with Coprolalia, which involves involuntary outbursts of obscene words or socially inappropriate and derogatory remarks, according to the Tourette Association of America.
—
Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 1 Mar. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for derogatory
Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 1 Mar. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for derogatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for derogatory
Adjective
-
While their insulting jabs at each other make for good laughs, their arc as teammates learning to work together is what gives the film its heart.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
13 Mar. 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
And that was not a pejorative term.—
Mariel Carr,
Scientific American,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Liborio speaks with a mix of rage and despondence about his situation; complaining about the pejorative labels those around him call him to diminish his existence.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Walter White, executive secretary of the NAACP, lobbied the film studios in 1942 to stop portraying Blacks in demeaning, stereotypical roles, specifically citing Fetchit.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
-
That framing, whether intentional or not, is disrespectful, dismissive and demeaning.—
Terri Freeman,
Baltimore Sun,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The settlement resolves a 2023 lawsuit in which Flynn sought at least $50 million and asserted that the criminal case against him amounted to a malicious prosecution.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The most dire real-life cyberattacks on hospitals involve ransomware, a class of malicious software that encrypts data and locks down computers and networks, demanding significant amounts of cash for the promise of relief.—
Jeffrey Tully,
Fortune,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
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
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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
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
-
For Hildegard…women’s maternal bodies were not corrupting and degrading, but strong, nurturing, and creative.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
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Were Fidel Castro’s efforts to free his people from the degrading influences of foreigners meant to be erased by a president who, instead of allowing Cuba to struggle with its problems, added to them by cutting its oil supply?—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Mar. 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 31 Mar. 2026.
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