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Dictionary:

pejorative

  (pĭ-jôr'ə-tĭv, -jŏr'-, pĕj'ə-rā'tĭv, pē'jə-) pronunciation
adj.
  1. Tending to make or become worse.
  2. Disparaging; belittling.
n.

A disparaging or belittling word or expression.

pejoratively pe·jor'a·tive·ly adv.
 
 
Thesaurus: pejorative

adjective

    Tending or intending to belittle: deprecative, deprecatory, depreciative, depreciatory, derogative, derogatory, detractive, disparaging, low, slighting, uncomplimentary. See praise/blame.

 
Antonyms: pejorative

adj

Definition: negative, belittling
Antonyms: complimentary, positive, praising


 
Obscure Words: pejorate


[fr. L. pejorare to become worse, make worse]  to make worse: depreciate
 
Word Tutor: pejorative
pronunciation

IN BRIEF: Tending to demean or belittle. Also: A belittling or disparaging word or expression.

pronunciation 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

A word is a term of derision, or a phrase is pejorative, if it implies contempt or disapproval. The adjective pejorative is synonymous with derogatory, derisive, and dyslogistic. When used as an adjective, pejorative has two meanings: (1) tending to make or become worse, and (2) tending to disparage or belittle. [1] When used as a noun, pejorative means "a belittling or disparaging word or expression".[2]

Dyslogisms such as "pea-brain" and "bottom-feeder" are words and phrases pejorative in nature. Although pejorative means much the same thing as disparaging, the latter term may be applied to a look or gesture as well; in the evocative language of gesture, it may not be easy to distinguish a disparaging gesture from a dismissive or merely skeptical one, however.

Pejorative expressions that are not inherently dyslogisms may also be used in a non-pejorative way, however, and determining the intent of the speaker is problematic — as with any implied meaning. Conversely, a common rhetorical ploy is to apply "pejorative" to a factual descriptor — as "toxic" might be applied to poison — and then decry it as "pejorative" to suit the agenda of those defending the substance as harmless.

Not every instance of criticism is pejorative.

Sometimes a term may begin as a pejorative word and eventually be adopted in a non-pejorative sense. This happened with the terms Quaker, Yankee, Tory and Whig, and Ham radio operator, which 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. Sometimes a term is still considered as a pejorative word by some but not by others — for example, Saturday night special. In other cases, some groups have attempted to reclaim formerly offensive words applied against them, with limited success. Such terms as nigger (nigga), redneck, cracker, white trash, Redskin, dyke, queer, fairy, faggot, tranny, geek, nerd, chav, or cripple are considered pejorative if used by a non-member of the particular group in question. British English also incorporates many British regional slurs.

Since connotations of words change over time, an up-to-date dictionary should be consulted for information on specific words.

References

Dictionary.com [1]

See also


 
Misspellings: pejorative

Common misspelling(s) of pejorative

  • perjorative

 
Translations: Translations for: Pejorative

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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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Thesaurus. Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Answers Corporation Antonyms. © 1999-2008 by Answers Corporation. All rights reserved.  Read more
Obscure Words. © 2008 by Michael A. Fischer http://home.comcast.net/~wwftd Read more
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eSpindle provides personalized spelling and vocabulary tutoring online; free trial Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Pejorative" Read more
Answers Corporation Misspellings. © 1999-2008 by Answers Corporation. All rights reserved.  Read more
Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved.  Read more

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