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Words and phrases are pejorative if they imply disapproval or contempt. When used as an adjective, pejorative is synonymous with derogatory, derisive, dyslogistic, and contemptuous. When used as a noun, pejorative means "a belittling or disparaging word or expression". Note: A pejorative
Pejorative

Words and phrases are pejorative if they imply disapproval or contempt. When used as an adjective, pejorative is synonymous with derogatory, derisive, dyslogistic, and contemptuous....
 should not be confused with a profanity
Profanity

The original meaning of the adjective profane referred to items not belonging to the church, e.g. "The fort is the oldest profane building in the town, but the local monastery is older, and is the oldest sacred building," or "besides designing churches, he also designed many profane buildings"....
. Profanity refers to language that is considered rude while pejoratives refer more to disapprovals and not necessarily rudeness.

Pejorative expressions that are not inherently dyslogisms may also be used in a non-pejorative way, however, and determining the intent of the speaker is problematic — as with any implied meaning.






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Words and phrases are pejorative if they imply disapproval or contempt. When used as an adjective, pejorative is synonymous with derogatory, derisive, dyslogistic, and contemptuous. When used as a noun, pejorative means "a belittling or disparaging word or expression". Note: A pejorative
Pejorative

Words and phrases are pejorative if they imply disapproval or contempt. When used as an adjective, pejorative is synonymous with derogatory, derisive, dyslogistic, and contemptuous....
 should not be confused with a profanity
Profanity

The original meaning of the adjective profane referred to items not belonging to the church, e.g. "The fort is the oldest profane building in the town, but the local monastery is older, and is the oldest sacred building," or "besides designing churches, he also designed many profane buildings"....
. Profanity refers to language that is considered rude while pejoratives refer more to disapprovals and not necessarily rudeness.

Pejorative expressions that are not inherently dyslogisms may also be used in a non-pejorative way, however, and determining the intent of the speaker is problematic — as with any implied meaning. Conversely, a common rhetorical ploy is to apply "pejorative" to a factual descriptor — as "toxic" might be applied to poison — and then decry it as "pejorative" to suit the agenda of those defending the substance as harmless.

Not every instance of criticism is pejorative.

Sometimes a term may begin as a pejorative word and eventually be adopted in a non-pejorative sense. This happened with the terms Big Bang
Big Bang

The Big Bang is the physical cosmology model of the initial conditions and subsequent development of the universe supported by the most comprehensive and accurate explanations from current scientific method and observation....
, Quaker, Yankee
Yankee

The term Yankee, sometimes abbreviated to Yank, has a few related meanings, often referring to someone of United States origin or heritage. Within the United States its meaning has varied over time....
, Okie
Okie

Okie is a term, dating from as early as 1907, originally denoting a resident or native of Oklahoma. It is derived from the name of the state, similar to Texan or Tex for someone from Texas, or Arkie or Arkansawyer for a native of Arkansas....
, Tory
Tory

In the political tradition of some List of countries where English is an official language, the term Tory may refer to a variety of Political party and creeds since it was originally used in the late 17th century to describe opponents to the Whig Party ....
 and Whig, Ham
Etymology of ham radio

Ham is an informal term for an amateur radio operator, and, by extension, "ham radio" refers to amateur radio in general. This use of the word first appeared in the United States during the opening decade of the twentieth century — for example, Robert A....
 radio operator, Methodist, Shaker, Unitarian
Unitarianism

Unitarianism as a theology is the belief in the single personality of God, in contrast to the doctrine of the Trinity . It is the philosophy upon which the modern Unitarian movement was based, and, according to its proponents, is the Early Christianity of Christianity....
, and Sooner or Republican
Republican

Republican can refer to:* Advocates of a republic, a form of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is generally associated with the rule of law...
, which were originally slang
Slang

Slang is the use of highly informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's dialect or language....
 insults but came to be used as non-pejorative standard words. In historical linguistics
Historical linguistics

Historical linguistics is the study of language change. It has five main concerns:* to describe and account for observed changes in particular languages;...
, this phenomenon is known as melioration, or amelioration. Sometimes a term is still considered as a pejorative word by some but not by others. In other cases, some groups have attempted to "reclaim" formerly offensive words applied against them, with limited success. Such terms as pagan, nigger, nigga
Nigga

Nigga is a term used in African American Vernacular English that began as an eye dialect form of the word nigger ....
, kike
Kike

In modern English language, the word kike is a pejorative ethnic slur referring to a Jew. In some languages, such as Spanish, this word is a given name or shortened from a longer form and is not considered derogatory....
, redneck, cracker, spade
List of ethnic slurs

The following is a list of ethnic slurs that are, or have been, used as insinuations or allegations about members of a given ethnicity or to refer to them in a derogatory , pejorative , or insulting manner in the English language-speaking world....
, white trash
White trash

White trash is an American English pejorative term referring to individual or groups of Social class in the United States caucasians that the speaker considers to lack cultural capital....
, redskin
Redskin

"Redskin" is a racial descriptor for North American Indians and one of the color metaphors for race used in North America and Europe since European colonization of America....
, dyke
Lesbian

File:Lesbian Couple from back holding hands.jpgLesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females....
, queer
Queer

Queer has traditionally meant odd or unusual, but its use in reference to LGBT communities as well as those perceived to be members of those communities has largely replaced the traditional definition and application in modern usage....
, fairy, faggot, tranny, geek
Geek

The word geek is a slang term, noting individuals as "a peculiar or otherwise odd person, especially one who is perceived to be overly obsessed with one or more things including those of intellectuality, electronics, etc." Formerly, the term referred to a carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes biting the head...
, nerd
Nerd

Nerd is a term often bearing a derogatory connotation or stereotype, that refers to a person who passionately pursues intellectual activities, esoteric knowledge, or other obscure interests rather than engaging in more Social relation or popular activities....
, retard, mamak
Mamak

Mamak is a term used in Malaysia to describe the Tamil Muslim community and culture. Most Indian Muslims consider this term to be pejorative. ...
, paki, chav
Chav

Chav, Chava or Charva or Charver is a derogatory term applied to certain Adolescence in the United Kingdom. The stereotypical image of a chav is a white aggressive teen or young adult, of working class background, who wears branded sports and casual clothing, who often fights and engages in petty criminality,...
, ginger
Red hair

Red hair varies from a deep orange-red through orange #Burnt orange to bright copper . It is characterized by high levels of the reddish pigment Melanin#Melanin in humans and relatively low levels of the dark pigment Melanin#Melanin in humans....
, gook
Gook

File:First to Fight USMC recruiting publicity photo 1918 HD-SN-99-02127.jpgGook is a derogatory term for Asians, used especially for enemy soldiers....
, and cripple
Cripple

A cripple is a person or animal with a physical disability, particularly one who is unable to walk because of an injury or illness. The word was recorded as early as 950 AD, and derives from the Proto-Germanic krupilaz....
 are widely considered pejorative. In South East Asia, even the demonyms Chinese
Chinese people

The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People who reside in and hold citizenship of the Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China or the Republic of China ....
 and Japanese
Japanese people

The are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan....
 are considered pejorative or stereotypical if used when referring to someone who is not a member of the ethnic group in question. British English also incorporates many British regional slurs.

See also

  • Euphemism treadmill
  • Hypocoristic
    Hypocoristic

    A hypocoristic, hypocorism, or hypochorisma is a lesser form of the given name used in more intimate situations, as a nickname, term of endearment, a Nickname....
    , a pet name (antonym)
  • Semantic change
    Semantic change

    In historical linguistics, semantic change is a change in one of the meanings of a Word . Every word has a variety of senses and connotations which can be added, removed, or altered over time, often to the extent that cognates across space and time have very different meanings....
  • Taunt
    Taunt

    A taunt is a battle cry, a method in hand-to-hand combat, sarcastic remark, or insult intended to make the other feel miserable and powerless, or else angered into reacting quickly without thinking....
  • Bully
    Bully

    Bullying is the act of intentionally causing harm to others, through verbal harassment, physical assault, or other more subtle methods of coercion such as manipulation....
  • Pejorative suffix
    Pejorative suffix

    A pejorative suffix is a suffix that attaches a negative meaning to the word or word-stem preceding it. There is frequent overlap between this and the diminutive form....
  • Historical linguistics
    Historical linguistics

    Historical linguistics is the study of language change. It has five main concerns:* to describe and account for observed changes in particular languages;...
  • Term of disparagement
    Term of disparagement

    Terms of disparagement are pejorative words and phrases which are either intended to be or are often regarded as insulting, impolite or unkind....
  • List of ethnic slurs
    List of ethnic slurs

    The following is a list of ethnic slurs that are, or have been, used as insinuations or allegations about members of a given ethnicity or to refer to them in a derogatory , pejorative , or insulting manner in the English language-speaking world....