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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pejorative
Online, clips from the show have gone viral for their salty language and pejorative descriptions of Trump, Vice President Vance, House Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republicans.
—
Stephen Fowler, NPR, 11 Nov. 2025
Today slop’s pejorative bite is increasingly aimed at all things AI, treating it as an undeniable cultural pollutant.
—Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 8 Nov. 2025
About 1,000 schools continue use of pejorative mascots, according to the National Congress of American Indians.
—Diana Lambdin Meyer, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025
The intensity of Irish expressions of solidarity in 2024 caused one pro-Israel commentator, Ben Cohen, to coin the term Paddystinian as a derisive epithet to counter the narrative, conflating the pejorative stereotype of the drunken Paddy with Palestine.
—Philip Metres
august 27, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pejorative
Stephen Fowler, NPR, 11 Nov. 2025
Today slop’s pejorative bite is increasingly aimed at all things AI, treating it as an undeniable cultural pollutant.
—Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 8 Nov. 2025
About 1,000 schools continue use of pejorative mascots, according to the National Congress of American Indians.
—Diana Lambdin Meyer, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025
The intensity of Irish expressions of solidarity in 2024 caused one pro-Israel commentator, Ben Cohen, to coin the term Paddystinian as a derisive epithet to counter the narrative, conflating the pejorative stereotype of the drunken Paddy with Palestine.
—Philip Metres
august 27, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pejorative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pejorative
Adjective
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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
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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
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If this is the overall vibe of Friends Keep Secrets, then the show — the first acquisition for #inspo podcaster Jay Shetty’s production company — is a must-watch in the most derogatory sense of the word.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
3 Mar. 2026
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The law requires the removal and replacement of derogatory or offensive names for geographic features and roads.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
1 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
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First of all, that’s a little bit demeaning to truck drivers.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
28 Feb. 2026
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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
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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
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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
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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
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
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The tone of the FDA's message, Chaccour says, carried with it a contemptuous and toxic undertone, which only helped to escalate the political tensions around ivermectin that continue to this day.—
Yuki Noguchi,
NPR,
2 Mar. 2026
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Hogg, who had a brief and tumultuous stint as a DNC co–vice chair in early 2025, is contemptuous of the party’s lingering cohort of elder leaders.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pejorative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pejorative. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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