as in slighting
intended to make a person or thing seem of little importance or value
used the detractive epithet "McJob" to describe what his feckless son-in-law did for work
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detractive
Adjective
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Considering there were only 33 appearances this past season, such Heat prudence hardly could be viewed as insulting.
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What Florence has been doing is consistent and insulting.
Adjective
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The Uganda Law Society demanded Lukwago's immediate release, saying his arrest was contemptuous of court processes.
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Koenig’s former Yankees teammates were contemptuous of that miserly decision.
Adjective
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The unorthodox midterm convention comes as Democrats continue to poll stronger than Republicans ahead of November's critical elections.
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Kennard could have provided a critical floor-spacing piece around Doncic, who thrives when surrounded by lob-catching centers, athletic wings and knockdown shooters.
Adjective
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According to the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office, 37-year-old Adam Mazur-Baker was arraigned Tuesday on one count of using a computer to commit a crime and one count of malicious use of telecommunications services.
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This command executes malicious code inside the AppleScript directly.
Adjective
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Felix points to Trump’s disparaging and false comments against Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, which put a target on the back of many Haitian immigrants.
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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.
Adjective
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Amusingly enough, someone who was neither perplexed nor disdainful was a young cast member by the name of Stephen Colbert.
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His whole behavior toward women is so disdainful.
Adjective
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No one should be subject to listening to the most degrading and profane words that now seem popular with some people.
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According to the company, the electronic attack variant is intended to provide non-kinetic effects on the battlefield by disrupting and degrading enemy sensors and reconnaissance networks.
Adjective
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Not in the pejorative, party girl sense, but in a cool, chaotically chic way.
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These aren’t just NIMBY complaints—not in the pejorative sense, at least.
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Cite this Entry
“Detractive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detractive. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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