pejorative
Sign in to saveAlso known as derogative term, derogatory term, term of abuse, derogatory, pejoratives, offensive word, offensive term, slur
A pejorative word, phrase, slur, or derogatory term is a word or grammatical form expressing a negative or disrespectful connotation, a low opinion, or a lack of respect toward someone or something. It is also used to express criticism, hostility, or disregard. Sometimes, a term is regarded as pejorative in some social or ethnic groups but not in others or may be originally pejorative but later adopt a non-pejorative sense (or vice versa) in some or all contexts.
~3 min read
Encyclopedic overview
6 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Pejoration and melioration
- See also
- References
- Further reading
- External links
A pejorative word, phrase, slur, or derogatory term is a word or grammatical form expressing a negative or disrespectful connotation, a low opinion, or a lack of respect toward someone or something. It is also used to express criticism, hostility, or disregard. Sometimes, a term is regarded as pejorative in some social or ethnic groups but not in others or may be originally pejorative but later adopt a non-pejorative sense (or vice versa) in some or all contexts.
==Etymology== The word pejorative is derived from a Late Latin past participle stem of ', meaning "to make worse", from ' "worse".
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “pejorative” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.