pejorate

P3E1J8O1R1A1T1E1
UK/ˈpiːdʒəɹeɪt/UK/ˈpɛdʒəɹeɪt/

verb

To become or make (something) worse; to deteriorate, to worsen.

OriginLatin peiōrāt- →
Scrabble 17
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Meanings

verbpejorate (third-person singular simple present pejorates, present participle pejorating, simple past and past participle pejorated)

present singular third person pejorates · participle present pejorating · participle past pejorated · past pejorated

  1. ambitransitiveTo become or make (something) worse; to deteriorate, to worsen.

    You do not appear to me to recognize the gravity of your situation, or you would be more careful not to pejorate the same by words which glance upon the purity of justice.

    1892, Robert Louis Stevenson, “Lord Advocate Prestongrange”, in Catriona, London; Edinburgh: Thomas Nelson & Sons, →OCLC, page 49

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
aggravateworsen

Origin

  1. Latinpeiōrāt-
  2. Englishpejorate

From Latin peiōrāt-, the participle stem of peiorō (“worsen”), from peior (“worse”).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

pejorate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pejorate

MLA

“pejorate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pejorate. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pejorate,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pejorate.

Source: pejorate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.