pejorative

Because, for example, the phrase "mass culture" is commonly perceived as carrying pejorative connotations, many of those who really enjoy it and write positively about it prefer to use the term "popular culture." — Michael Kammen

Wikipedia: Pejorative

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Look up pejorative, derisive, derogatory, or dyslogistic in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

A pejorative (also term of abuse or term of disparagement), as a noun, means a word or phrase that implies disapproval or contempt and is meant to be insulting, impolite, or unkind: "A belittling or disparaging word or expression." When used as an adjective, pejorative is synonymous with derogatory, derisive, dyslogistic, and contemptuous. Standards of politeness limit the use of pejoratives.

Pejoratives are distinct from profanity, which refers to language that is considered rude; Pejoratives refer more to disapproval and not necessarily rudeness.

Sometimes a term may begin as a pejorative word and eventually be adopted in a non-pejorative sense. Big Bang, Quaker, Yankee, Okie, Tory and Whig, Ham radio, Christian, Methodist, Shaker, Unitarian, Sooner, and Liberal were originally slang insults but came to be used as non-pejorative standard words. In historical linguistics, this phenomenon is known as melioration, or amelioration, or semantic change. Sometimes a term is still considered as a pejorative word by some but not by others. In other cases, some groups have attempted to "reclaim" formerly offensive words applied against them (reclaimed word).

Ethnic slurs are one kind of category of pejorative. Such terms as pagan,^[1]^[2]^[3] nigger,^[4] nigga, spic, kike, redneck, cracker, spade, white trash, redskin, dyke, queer, fairy, faggot, tranny, douche bag, geek, nerd, retard, mamak, paki, chav, ginger, gook, cretin and cripple are widely considered pejorative.^[5]^[6]

References

^ The Encyclopedia of Christianity
^ http://www.agnosticwitch.catcara.com/pagan-perplexity.htm
^ http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Paganism
^ Kennedy, Randall L. (1999). "Who Can Say" Nigger"?... And Other Considerations" (PDF). Journal of Blacks in Higher Education 26: 86–96. http://sarnathkadath.googlepages.com/whocansaynigger.pdf. Retrieved on 2008-10-15.
^ Jacobs, Andrew T. (August 2002). "Appropriating a Slur, Semantic Looping in the African-American Usage of Nigga". Media Culture Journal 5 (4): 77–115. http://journal.media-culture.org.au/0208/semantic.php. Retrieved on 2008-10-15.
^ Peel, Elizabeth (2005). "Effeminate 'fudge nudgers' and tomboyish 'lettuce lickers': Language and the construction of sexualities in diversity training" (PDF). The Psychology of Women Section Review 7 (2). http://www-new.aston.ac.uk/downloads/lhs/peelea/Peel2005slangPOWSR.pdf. Retrieved on 2008-10-15.

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Misspellings: pejorative

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Common misspelling(s) of pejorative

perjorative

Translations: Pejorative

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Dansk (Danish)
adj. - pejorativ (ord med nedsættende betydning)
n. - pejorativ

Nederlands (Dutch)
kleinerend, beledigend, een kleinerend/ beledigend woord

Français (French)
adj. - péjoratif
n. - mot péjoratif

Deutsch (German)
adj. - abwertend
n. - Pejorativum

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - μειωτικός, υποτιμητικός, περιφρονητικός
n. - μειωτικός όρος

Italiano (Italian)
peggiorativo

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - pejorativo
n. - termo pejorativo (m)

Русский (Russian)
уничижительный, пренебрежительный

Español (Spanish)
adj. - peyorativo, despectivo
n. - desprecio

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - nedsättande, pejorativ
n. - nedsättande ord

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
轻蔑的, 贬抑的, 轻蔑语

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 輕蔑的, 貶抑的
n. - 輕蔑語

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 개악하는, 비난의 뜻을 더하는
n. - 경멸어, 경멸 접미사

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 悪化させるような, 軽蔑的な
n. - 悪化語

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) تحقيري (الاسم) كلمه تحقيريه, إزدرائي, منقص من القدر‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮מזלזל, בעל נימת גנאי, מידרדר, משתנה לרעה‬
n. - ‮מילה מפחיתת-ערך‬

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pejorative

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