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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pejorative
This is not a pejorative statement.
—
Jason Pettigrew, SPIN, 9 Mar. 2026
The Premier League’s set-piece evolution has taken on slightly pejorative connotations.
—Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Cartel de los Soles, or Cartel of the Suns, is a pejorative Venezuelan term for corrupt figures in the armed forces who take money from drug traffickers; the name is a reference to the sun insignia on their uniforms.
—Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 26 Nov. 2025
Wales Bonner also gave the shoe a suede high-top makeover, and AVAVAV turned it into a clown shoe in a non-pejorative sense.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pejorative
Jason Pettigrew, SPIN, 9 Mar. 2026
The Premier League’s set-piece evolution has taken on slightly pejorative connotations.
—Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Cartel de los Soles, or Cartel of the Suns, is a pejorative Venezuelan term for corrupt figures in the armed forces who take money from drug traffickers; the name is a reference to the sun insignia on their uniforms.
—Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 26 Nov. 2025
Wales Bonner also gave the shoe a suede high-top makeover, and AVAVAV turned it into a clown shoe in a non-pejorative sense.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pejorative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pejorative
Adjective
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For filmmakers who view their individual work as the center of gravity, this can sit somewhere between confusing and insulting.—
Dana Harris-Bridson,
IndieWire,
15 Apr. 2026
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Survivors rejected the offer, calling it insulting.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The announcement of the 34-year-old Eta’s appointment prompted sexist and derogatory comments on social media, leading Union to push back.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
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Some incels use the term in a derogatory fashion, believing those who aspire to ascension are delusional.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Benjamin Parris, also 19, of Greenville, South Carolina, is charged with two counts of malicious destruction of property of $1,000 or more but less than $20,000 and two counts of conspiracy to commit malicious destruction of property of $1,000 or more but less than $20,000.—
Joseph Buczek,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2026
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Instead of using obvious malicious code, the attackers built the installer with legitimate tools and layered the attack in stages.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Her pictures, which start innocently enough from the puppy-dog idea, get increasingly demeaning.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
20 Apr. 2026
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Leadership was abusive, inappropriate and demeaning, employees told The Denver Post.—
Sam Tabachnik,
Denver Post,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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While Trump’s talk of a possible NATO pullout dates back years, the comments to The Telegraph newspaper in the U.K., published Wednesday, were among the clearest and most disparaging yet — suggesting that the fracture has deepened perhaps to a point of no return.—
Jill Lawless,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2026
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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
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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Sara Hershkowitz’s wildly contemptuous Queen adds further soprano glory.—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
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And Alexander Hamilton gets slightly better press than the other two, but he is shown as someone who is brilliant, but self-seeking, arrogant, snobbish, contemptuous of others, and profoundly two-faced.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pejorative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pejorative. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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