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
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To educate all of them in similar ways is insulting, and silly.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Sep. 2025
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Perkins said the drink bore the insulting message.—
Victoria Moorwood,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Much of the evidence against the defendants consists of social media posts claiming Brigitte Macron is a man, often with derogatory language.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
27 Oct. 2025
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Meanwhile, the Young Republican National Federation called for the immediate resignations of leaders in the organization exposed in a Politico story to have sent racist, antisemitic and other derogatory text messages to one another in a private chat.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Police believe the act was done with malicious intent.—
Wren Smetana,
AZCentral.com,
26 Oct. 2025
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The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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What once was aberrant—indeed, unimaginable—is now standard Trump fare, demeaning not only to the Presidency but to the rule of law.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
9 Oct. 2025
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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
Adjective
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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
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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
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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 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 28 Oct. 2025.
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