Pejoration Definition

pĕjə-rāshən, pējə-
noun
The taking on of a less favorable meaning or connotation.
Webster's New World
The process or condition of worsening or degenerating.
American Heritage
The process by which the meaning of a word becomes negative or disparaging over a period of time, as silly, from Middle English seely, “blessed, innocent,” has come to mean “showing a lack of good sense, frivolous.”
American Heritage

Other Word Forms of Pejoration

Noun

Singular:
pejoration
Plural:
pejorations

Origin of Pejoration

  • Medieval Latin pēiōrātiō pēiōrātiōn- from Late Latin pēiōrātus past participle of pēiōrāre to make worse from Latin pēior worse ped- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From Latin peior (“worse")

    From Wiktionary

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