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 editors are panicking, using pejorative terms like dictator, wife-cheater, election-denier and cult leader in describing Donald Trump.
—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 18 May 2024
Gate lice is a pejorative phrase that refers to airline passengers who crowd an airport gate before their group is called.
—Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 24 Oct. 2024
In domestic economic policy, trickle-down economics has become a pejorative term.
—Timothy Meyer, Foreign Affairs, 26 June 2018
Video clips — altered in some instances — together with other visual and audio clips presented out of context have led to inappropriate clinical diagnoses and pejorative terms being used to characterize the opponents.
—Anand Kumar, STAT, 25 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for pejorative
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 18 May 2024
Gate lice is a pejorative phrase that refers to airline passengers who crowd an airport gate before their group is called.
—Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 24 Oct. 2024
In domestic economic policy, trickle-down economics has become a pejorative term.
—Timothy Meyer, Foreign Affairs, 26 June 2018
Video clips — altered in some instances — together with other visual and audio clips presented out of context have led to inappropriate clinical diagnoses and pejorative terms being used to characterize the opponents.
—Anand Kumar, STAT, 25 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for pejorative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pejorative
Adjective
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Sean Griffin, local executive council president for the union, said the pay is insulting.—
Chase Jordan,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Mar. 2025
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To suggest civil servants don’t work hard and could do more for less is insulting to the hundreds of thousands of hard-working federal workers earning their paychecks today.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Meanwhile, South Australia has seen a 63% decline in critical incidents—such as bullying and distribution of explicit or derogatory content—involving social media and 54% fewer behavioral issues.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
3 Apr. 2025
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Gopnik is a derogatory Russian slang word that roughly translates to thug.—
Lissete Lanuza Sáenz,
StyleCaster,
1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Jose Velasquez-Martinez, 27, is charged with malicious wounding and murder in connection with 29-year-old Brandon Probst's death in Warrenton, according to the Fauquier County Sheriff's Office.—
Audrey Conklin,
FOXNews.com,
4 Apr. 2025
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There is evidence of motivated malicious actors abusing the 'verified account' to deceive users.—
Jon Brodkin,
ArsTechnica,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Luck and the university fired coach Troy Taylor last week after ESPN reported that he was twice investigated for his demeaning treatment of staffers — particularly women.—
Michael Nowels,
Mercury News,
1 Apr. 2025
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And the system was routinely demeaning and dismissive.—
Sarah Lustbader,
The New Yorker,
9 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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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
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Prior to appearing on Cunningham's show on Monday, Huggins made more disparaging remarks about Xavier.—
Emily DeLetter,
The Enquirer,
10 May 2023
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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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
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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
Adjective
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According to an ancient Greek myth, all those who had fallen in love with the young man Narcissus were met with contemptuous rejection.—
Abigayle Ward,
Hartford Courant,
8 Mar. 2025
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The president was also profoundly contemptuous of women, kept his true opposition to female suffrage carefully hidden, and allowed the suffragists who silently held banners outside the White House to be repeatedly attacked by mobs, beaten, and jailed.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pejorative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pejorative. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
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