detractive

adjective

Definition of detractivenext
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
  1. insulting
  2. contemptuous
  3. critical
  4. malicious
  5. disparaging
  6. disdainful
  7. degrading
  8. pejorative
Adjective
  • Considering there were only 33 appearances this past season, such Heat prudence hardly could be viewed as insulting.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 20 June 2026
  • What Florence has been doing is consistent and insulting.
    — Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 19 June 2026
Definition of insulting
Adjective
  • The man didn’t catch Serena’s contemptuous expression, however, too busy peeling bills from a money clip and pressing them into his date’s hand.
    — Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 30 June 2026
  • The fantasy of transforming a cold or contemptuous man through the sheer force of one’s love has caused real harm, and the critique of it is warranted.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 29 June 2026
Definition of contemptuous
Adjective
  • The consensus is that for critical business functions, success depends on rigorously validated, specialized AI tailored to specific workflows, rather than broad, general-purpose solutions.
    — TerDawn DeBoe, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • Instead, most Republicans stood firm in a critical hearing with an administration waging a hugely unpopular war, while Democrats highlighted the gap between its premature victory laps and the current stalemate.
    — Arpita Dasika, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
Definition of critical
Adjective
  • Ransomware is a type of malicious software that restricts access to computer files, systems, or networks, according to the FBI.
    — Melina Khan, USA Today, 17 July 2026
  • Rodriguez pleaded guilty to damaging property occupied by a foreign government, explosive materials—malicious damage to federal property, and receipt or possession of an unregistered firearm.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 16 July 2026
Definition of malicious
Adjective
  • 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.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2026
  • 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
Definition of disparaging
Adjective
  • Amusingly enough, someone who was neither perplexed nor disdainful was a young cast member by the name of Stephen Colbert.
    — Kelly Leonard, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • His whole behavior toward women is so disdainful.
    — David Remnick, New Yorker, 17 June 2026
Definition of disdainful
Adjective
  • Federal authorities have subjected record numbers of immigrants to mandatory detention, including in inhuman and degrading conditions, while gutting internal oversight mechanisms.
    — Minky Worden, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
  • Detainees recounted degrading and inhumane living conditions that included bathrooms covered in feces, flooded housing units and no access to soap or other basic hygiene supplies, according to the report.
    — Michael Biesecker, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026
Definition of degrading
Adjective
  • But that pejorative term isn’t reserved only for those in pop or rock music.
    — Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 8 July 2026
  • Wilder has been criticized so often for the pejorative descriptions of Indigenous people in the book series that in 2018, a division of the American Library Association removed her name from a prestigious achievement award for children’s literature.
    — Emily Staunton, Christian Science Monitor, 8 July 2026
Definition of pejorative
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.

Browse Nearby Words

detractions
detractive
detractor
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Cite this Entry

“Detractive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detractive. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

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