- (of words, expressions, etc) having an unpleasant or disparaging connotation
- a pejorative word, expression, etc
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
pe•jo•ra•tive /pɪˈdʒɔrətɪv, -ˈdʒɑr-/USA pronunciation
adj.
n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- (of a word) having a disparaging, derogatory, or belittling force.
n. [countable]
- a pejorative form or word.
pe•jo•ra•tive
(pi jôr′ə tiv, -jor′-, pej′ə rā′-, pē′jə-),USA pronunciation adj.
n.
pe•jo′ra•tive•ly, adv.
- having a disparaging, derogatory, or belittling effect or force:the pejorative affix-ling in princeling.
n.
- a pejorative form or word, as poetaster.
- Latin pējōrāt(us) (see pejoration) + -ive
- 1880–85
- 1. deprecatory.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
pejorative /pɪˈdʒɒrətɪv; ˈpiːdʒər-/ adj
'pejorative' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):