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
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
-
Altman seems to find the question insulting.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
10 Nov. 2025
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To educate all of them in similar ways is insulting, and silly.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
On Friday, Angels lawyer Stephen Ladsous showed Tarter his X account, which had multiple retweets of derogatory posts about team owner Arte Moreno.—
Sam Blum,
New York Times,
10 Nov. 2025
-
In a May 2025 interview with the Daily Mail, Davis denied talking about his political views or using derogatory language around Stause.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
8 Nov. 2025
-
For many of Modi’s supporters, Mamdani’s rhetoric is seen as a malicious attack on the country’s majority religion.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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In a post dripping with arrogance, Lynch dished out demeaning nicknames for her recent opponents.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
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But parading around half-naked at competitions felt demeaning.—
Sean Williams,
Outside,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
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
-
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 band was concerned about their record label’s reaction, but despite the movie’s scene with a Myers cameo as a contemptuous exec, Reid insists there was no confrontation.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
24 Sep. 2025
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There are some good, compassionate officers out there, but the general attitude has become cold, cruel and contemptuous toward homeless individuals.—
Bruce Higgins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pejorative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pejorative. Accessed 20 Nov. 2025.
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