Meanings
adjectivepejorative (comparative more pejorative, superlative most pejorative)
comparative more pejorative · superlative most pejorative
- Disparaging, belittling or derogatory.First known use 1882
These days, on platforms like X, slopulism is a pejorative label often applied to posts by politicians and pundits alike, anyone who shares out lowest-common-denominator ideas designed to appeal to loyal political bases.
2026 February 13, Nathan Taylor Pemberton, “When Posting Becomes Its Own Style of Politics”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 14 Feb 2026Synonyms: derogatory, dyslogistic, disrespectful
nounpejorative (plural pejoratives)
plural pejoratives
- A disparaging, belittling, or derogatory word or expression.
“Get away from me, freak.” “Actually, my designation is Logic-y. I take issue with the pejorative when I am simply a product of your self-inflicted bifurcation.”
2023 October 12, Edgar Momplaisir, “A Few Badgeys More” (15:59 from the start), in Star Trek: Lower Decks, season 4, episode 7, spoken by Logic-y (Jack McBrayer)Synonyms: dyslogism, dysphemism
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveDisparaging, belittling or derogatory.
nounA disparaging, belittling, or derogatory word or expression.
Similar
dyslogismdysphemism
Opposite
approvativeeuphemism
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveexpressing disapproval
Similar
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Afrikaans pejoratief
- pejoratiefdisparaging, belittling or derogatory word or expression
Bulgarian неодобрителен, омаловажаващ
- неодобрителен (neodobritelen)disparaging, belittling or derogatory
- омаловажаващ (omalovažavašt)disparaging, belittling or derogatory
Catalan pejoratiu
- pejoratiudisparaging, belittling or derogatory
Chinese Mandarin 貶義的 /贬义的, 輕蔑的 /轻蔑的
- 貶義的 /贬义的 (biǎnyì de)disparaging, belittling or derogatory
- 輕蔑的 /轻蔑的 (qīngmiè de)disparaging, belittling or derogatory
- 貶義詞 /贬义词 (biǎnyìcí)disparaging, belittling or derogatory word or expression
- 輕蔑詞 /轻蔑词 (qīngmiècí)disparaging, belittling or derogatory word or expression
- 貶義語 /贬义语 (biǎnyìyǔ)disparaging, belittling or derogatory word or expression
- 輕蔑語 /轻蔑语 (qīngmièyǔ)disparaging, belittling or derogatory word or expression
Czech pejorativní, pejorativum
- pejorativnídisparaging, belittling or derogatory
- pejorativumdisparaging, belittling or derogatory word or expression
Danish nedsættende, pejorativ
- nedsættendedisparaging, belittling or derogatory
- pejorativdisparaging, belittling or derogatory word or expression
- nedsættende udsagndisparaging, belittling or derogatory word or expression
Dutch kleinerend denigrerend, pejoratief
- kleinerend denigrerenddisparaging, belittling or derogatory
- pejoratiefdisparaging, belittling or derogatory word or expression
Finnish halventava, väheksyvä
- halventavadisparaging, belittling or derogatory
- väheksyvädisparaging, belittling or derogatory
- alentavadisparaging, belittling or derogatory
- pejoratiivinendisparaging, belittling or derogatory
- pejoratiividisparaging, belittling or derogatory word or expression
- haukkumasanadisparaging, belittling or derogatory word or expression
French péjoratif
- péjoratifdisparaging, belittling or derogatory
German abschätzig, abwertend
- abschätzigdisparaging, belittling or derogatory
- abwertenddisparaging, belittling or derogatory
- herabsetzenddisparaging, belittling or derogatory
- verschlechternddisparaging, belittling or derogatory
- verschlimmernddisparaging, belittling or derogatory
- pejorativdisparaging, belittling or derogatory
- Pejorativumdisparaging, belittling or derogatory word or expression
Greek υποτιμητικός, εξευτελιστικός
- υποτιμητικός (ypotimitikós)disparaging, belittling or derogatory
- εξευτελιστικός (exeftelistikós)disparaging, belittling or derogatory
- μειωτικός (meiotikós)disparaging, belittling or derogatory
Hungarian pejoratív
- pejoratívdisparaging, belittling or derogatory
Italian peggiorativo, riduttivo
- peggiorativodisparaging, belittling or derogatory
- riduttivodisparaging, belittling or derogatory
- peggiorativodisparaging, belittling or derogatory word or expression
- spregiativodisparaging, belittling or derogatory word or expression
Japanese 軽蔑的な, 侮蔑的な
- 軽蔑的な (keibetsuteki na)disparaging, belittling or derogatory
- 侮蔑的な (bubetsuteki na)disparaging, belittling or derogatory
- 侮辱的な (bujokuteki na)disparaging, belittling or derogatory
- 軽蔑 (keibetsu)disparaging, belittling or derogatory word or expression
- 侮蔑 (bubetsu)disparaging, belittling or derogatory word or expression
- 侮辱 (bujoku)disparaging, belittling or derogatory word or expression
Korean 경멸어, 경멸적인
- 경멸어 (gyeongmyeoreo)disparaging, belittling or derogatory
- 경멸적인 (gyeongmyeoljeogin)disparaging, belittling or derogatory
Norwegian pejorativ
- pejorativdisparaging, belittling or derogatory word or expression
Norwegian Bokmål nedsettende
- nedsettendedisparaging, belittling or derogatory
Polish pejoratywny
- pejoratywnydisparaging, belittling or derogatory
Portuguese pejorativo, pejorativo
- pejorativodisparaging, belittling or derogatory
- pejorativodisparaging, belittling or derogatory word or expression
Romanian peiorativ, peiorativ
- peiorativdisparaging, belittling or derogatory
- peiorativdisparaging, belittling or derogatory word or expression
Russian неодобри́тельный, уничижи́тельный
- неодобри́тельный (neodobrítelʹnyj)disparaging, belittling or derogatory
- уничижи́тельный (uničižítelʹnyj)disparaging, belittling or derogatory
- презри́тельный (prezrítelʹnyj)disparaging, belittling or derogatory
Spanish peyorativo, peyorativo
- peyorativodisparaging, belittling or derogatory
- peyorativodisparaging, belittling or derogatory word or expression
Swedish nedsättande, pejorativ
- nedsättandedisparaging, belittling or derogatory
- pejorativdisparaging, belittling or derogatory
- pejorativdisparaging, belittling or derogatory word or expression
Turkish ablak, alçaltıcı
- ablakdisparaging, belittling or derogatory
- alçaltıcıdisparaging, belittling or derogatory
- aşağılayıcıdisparaging, belittling or derogatory
- küçültücüdisparaging, belittling or derogatory
- yermelidisparaging, belittling or derogatory
- pejoratifdisparaging, belittling or derogatory
- aşağılamadisparaging, belittling or derogatory word or expression
- hakaretdisparaging, belittling or derogatory word or expression
Ukrainian лайли́вий, прини́зливий
- лайли́вий (lajlývyj)disparaging, belittling or derogatory
- прини́зливий (prynýzlyvyj)disparaging, belittling or derogatory
- лайли́ве сло́во (lajlýve slóvo)disparaging, belittling or derogatory word or expression
- ла́йка (lájka)disparaging, belittling or derogatory word or expression
- прини́зливе сло́во (prynýzlyve slóvo)disparaging, belittling or derogatory word or expression
Cite this entry
APA
pejorative. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pejorative
MLA
“pejorative.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pejorative. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pejorative,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pejorative.
Source: pejorative on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.