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Words often change their meanings over time. When a word's definition becomes more negative, that is called pejoration. Some examples are:
Silly - Originally meant "blessed; fortunate." Now means, "foolish; nonsensical; stupid."
Villain - originally meant "farmhand" (living in a villa i.e. country house.) Then it came to mean "low-born; low-class." Now it means "evil-doer; bad-guy."
Profane - originally a neutral word meaning "anything outside the building of a church." (for example, praying in your house would have been "profane."). Now it means "sinful, evil."
Pagan - originally meant "someone who lived in the country." Now it means "someone who doesn't believe in God; savage; barbarous." (The same change in meaning happened to the word "heathen.")
Doom - originally meant "judgment; determination." Now it means "impending catastrophe; death; destruction." (The original meaning of doom is still retained in the words "freedom" and "wisdom" meaning "judged to be free" and "judged to be wise.")
Fatal - originally meant "caused by fate/destiny." Now it means "causing death; lethal."
The opposite process of pejoration is amelioration. Under amelioration, a word's definition becomes more positive over time. This is much less common (in English at least). One example:
Nice - originally meant "foolish." Now it means "kind." (Of course, equating kindness with foolishness might be - in some people's opinions - a form of pejoration itself.)
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What is the opposite of pejoration?
The opposite of pejoration (worsening) would be amelioration (building, strengthening).
Is the word surly amelioration or pejoration?
To ameliorate is to improve. To pejorate is to worsen. So in this case, you would have to look at whether the connotative meaning of the word "doom" has worsened or gotten better. My best guess is that it has probably worsened, so it would be pejoration.
How do you use pejorative in a sentence?
It is not wise to be pejorative all the time, but it is better to be benign.
What are five examples of smile?
examples of simile
Anaphora and epistrophe are examples of what?
Anaphora and epistrophe are examples of parallelism.
What is the opposite of pejoration?
The opposite of pejoration (worsening) would be amelioration (building, strengthening).
A word that loses respectability undergoes what?
Pejoration
What is cavalier a pejoration or an amelioration?
Ameliorate
Has weed and stink undergone specialization generalization amelioration or pejoration.?
it is generalization..
The process of a word gaining a negative meaning means?
The process of a word gaining a negative meaning is called pejoration. This typically happens when a word's original neutral or positive connotation shifts over time due to cultural, social, or linguistic changes. The evolution of language and usage patterns can contribute to this shift in a word's meaning.
Is the word surly amelioration or pejoration?
To ameliorate is to improve. To pejorate is to worsen. So in this case, you would have to look at whether the connotative meaning of the word "doom" has worsened or gotten better. My best guess is that it has probably worsened, so it would be pejoration.
How do you use pejorative in a sentence?
It is not wise to be pejorative all the time, but it is better to be benign.
Is the word surly an amelioration?
No, the word "surly" is not an amelioration. It typically has a negative connotation, meaning bad-tempered or unfriendly. An amelioration is a process where a word's meaning evolves to become more positive over time.
What are examples and non-examples for inflated?
The examples are tire ,ballon ,and beachball and the non-examples are shoe,chair,and bed
Examples of misrepresentation of facts?
Examples of misrepresentation of facts Examples of misrepresentation of facts
Examples chemistry trivias?
examples chemistry trivias examples chemistry trivias
What are the examples of grass?
what are the examples for grass
