as in insulting
intended to make a person or thing seem of little importance or value
the reviewer used the pejorative word "versifier" to refer to the writer, whose poems had struck a responsive chord with the general public
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of pejorative
The frequent Trump epithet losers would be a suitably pejorative modern equivalent.
—
Graham Robb, The Atlantic, 9 June 2025
Tell us something weird and/or wonderful about the club
Bayern were formed in response to pejorative attitudes towards competitive football.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 7 June 2025
The president blasted Newsom, a potential candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028, over the issue with a pejorative nickname in a Truth Social post on Tuesday.
—Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 28 May 2025
All of the plaintiffs accused Robinson's wife, Frances Robinson, who is also named as a defendant, of perpetuating a hostile work environment by screaming at them and using ethnically pejorative language.
—Phil Helsel, NBC news, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pejorative
Graham Robb, The Atlantic, 9 June 2025
Tell us something weird and/or wonderful about the club
Bayern were formed in response to pejorative attitudes towards competitive football.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 7 June 2025
The president blasted Newsom, a potential candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028, over the issue with a pejorative nickname in a Truth Social post on Tuesday.
—Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 28 May 2025
All of the plaintiffs accused Robinson's wife, Frances Robinson, who is also named as a defendant, of perpetuating a hostile work environment by screaming at them and using ethnically pejorative language.
—Phil Helsel, NBC news, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pejorative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pejorative
Adjective
-
Using those who serve in uniform as political props is insulting.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
13 Sep. 2025
-
The whole thing feels redundant and borderline insulting.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
If bad blood existed or Devers made a derogatory comment, that’s different.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Kilmar Abrego Garcia's legal team asked a federal judge on Thursday to issue a gag order blocking Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem from making derogatory comments about him in public.—
Sonam Sheth
Anna Commander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
In addition, users will be able to permanently block a user from quote-sharing any of their posts, as a hedge against malicious dunks.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
13 Sep. 2025
-
That means malicious software is getting smarter, faster and harder to detect.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
For decades, Indigenous leaders and advocates across the state and country have been trying to convince school communities that the use of such mascots and logos are inappropriate, demeaning and harmful.—
Frank Vaisvilas,
jsonline.com,
29 Aug. 2025
-
One detainee who submitted an account to the court that was referenced by Gregorio described sleeping in foul-smelling facilities and facing demeaning treatment by ICE agents.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
12 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
And there would be lots of soldiers around, either Army or National Guard, and the people who were civilians would be young people, very disparaging about the military.—
Steve Baltin,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
-
The 2023 Economic Report Of The President published in March of 2023 was relatively disparaging of cryptoassets and DLTs.—
Lawrence Wintermeyer,
Forbes,
5 Dec. 2024
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
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
-
The wit and wordplay never cease, and there’s much pleasure to be drawn from Colman and Cumberbatch spitting McNamara’s contemptuous dialogue with aplomb.—
Katie Walsh,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Aug. 2025
-
Some of the reviews and the coverage were so contemptuous.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pejorative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pejorative. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share