Cambridge Dictionaries online Cambridge Dictionaries online

The most popular online dictionary and thesaurus for learners of English

  

pejorative

adjective
 
 
/pɪˈdʒɒr.ə.tɪv/ US  /-ˈdʒɔːr.ə.t̬ɪv/ formal

Definition

disapproving or suggesting that something is not good or is of no importance: Make sure students realize that 'fat' is a pejorative word. It comes as quite a shock to still hear a judge describing a child as 'illegitimate', with all the pejorative overtones of that word.Critical and uncomplimentary
(Definition of pejorative adjective from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

Browse related topics

You are looking at an entry to do with Critical & uncomplimentary, but you might be interested in these topics from the Expressing opposition & disapproval topic area:

“pejorative” in other dictionaries

Word of the Day

honest-to-goodness

real or true

Word of the Day

Blog

Read our blog about how the English language behaves.

Learn More

New Words

Find words and meanings that have just started to be used in English, and let us know what you think of them.

Learn More