Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Disparaging; belittling.
  • noun A disparaging or belittling word or expression.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Tending or intended to depreciate or deteriorate, as the sense of a word; giving a low or bad sense to.
  • noun In grammar, a word that depreciates or deteriorates the sense: thus, poetaster is a pejorative of poet, criticaster of critic.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Implying or imputing evil; depreciatory; disparaging; unfavorable.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Disparaging, belittling or derogatory.
  • noun A disparaging, belittling, or derogatory word or expression.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective expressing disapproval

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

French 1882 péjorative ("depreciative, disparaging"), from Late Latin peioratus, past participle of peiorare ("make worse"), from Latin peior ("worse"). Compare English 1644 pejorate ("to worsen"), from the same etymology.

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Examples

Comments

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  • I like this word. I also like depreciatory.

    October 18, 2007

  • The word itself sounds like you're spitting. If you say it in the right tone of voice it sounds like a Klingon insult.

    May 24, 2009