I. pə̇ˈjȯrəd.iv; ˈpej(ə)rəd.-, -jəˌrād.-, ˈpēj- adjective
Etymology: probably from (assumed) New Latin pejorativus, from Late Latin pejoratus (past participle of pejorare to become worse, make worse, from Latin pejor worse) + Latin -ivus -ive; akin to Latin pessimus worst, Sanskrit padyate he falls, goes, Latin ped-, pes foot — more at foot
: having a tendency to make or become worse : depreciatory , disparaging
resort to pejorative epithets as their argument — M.R.Cohen
the pejorative sense given the word “scholasticism” by the Renaissance — Frank Thilly
— often used of words whose basic meaning is depreciated either by a suffix or by semantic application or association
the pejorative “poetaster” for a mere versifier
we use the neutral word “paranormal” in preference to “abnormal” which is faintly pejorative — A.G.N.Flew
• pe·jo·ra·tive·ly -ə̇vlē, -li adverb
II. noun
( -s )
: a pejorative word