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derogatory definition

de·roga·tory (di räg′ə tôr′ē)

adjective

  1. tending to lessen or impair; detracting
  2. disparaging; belittling

Etymology: L derogatorius: see derogate

Also derogative de·rog′a·tive

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

derogatory Synonyms

derogatory

modif.

belittling, disparaging, slighting, dishonoring, deprecatory, depreciatory, denigrating, disdainful, critical, faultfinding, uncomplimentary, pejorative, slanderous, censorious, unfavorable, unflattering, injurious, defamatory; see also critical 2, opprobrious 1, sarcastic.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

derogatory Usage Examples

Adjective complement with noun phrase

  • say: The children were coached not to cry or ask questions, and above all to say nothing derogatory about Saddam.

Modifies a noun

  • remark: I welcome the derogatory remarks made by Gerry Adams.

Modifying Another Word

  • somewhat: Nowadays it is a light-hearted if somewhat derogatory term.

Used with adjective complement

  • consider: Their old name of Lapps is now considered derogatory.
derogatory usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

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MLA Style

"derogatory." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/derogatory>

APA Style

derogatory. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/derogatory

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