derogatory

[ dih-rog-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee ]

adjective

1. tending to lessen the merit or reputation of a person or thing; disparaging; depreciatory:

   a derogatory remark.

   Synonyms: uncomplimentary

derogatory

/ dɪˈrɒɡətərɪ; -trɪ /

adjective

1. tending or intended to detract, disparage, or belittle; intentionally offensive

Derived Forms

• deˈrogatoriness, noun
• deˈrogatorily, adverb

Other Words From

• de·roga·tori·ly adverb
• de·roga·tori·ness noun
• nonde·roga·tori·ly adverb
• nonde·roga·tori·ly·ness noun
• nonde·roga·tory adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of derogatory¹

First recorded in 1495–1505; from Late Latin dērogātōrius “belonging to a repeal”; equivalent to derogate + -tory ¹

Example Sentences

While the term professional patient is sometimes used in a derogatory way, it accurately describes many people who regularly interact with the health care system.

From Time

Montgomery Steppe’s letter makes no derogatory references to Lincoln students.

From Voice of San Diego

The team used these interviews to create a taxonomy of 18 different types of hate speech, focusing on English and text-based hate speech only, including derogatory speech, slurs, and threatening language.

From MIT Technology Review

After Greene attempted to confront Ocasio-Cortez in the Capitol on Wednesday, CNN unearthed video from 2019 in which Greene, then a private citizen, is shown making derogatory comments about Ocasio-Cortez from outside her Capitol Hill office.

From Washington Post

The company’s latest big push is to address body shaming by imposing a ban on “unsolicited and derogatory comments made about someone’s appearance, body shape, size or health.”

From Time

Reid had written poems about three other professors, all of them critical and derogatory.

From The Daily Beast

But ernai is an old term, not exactly derogatory but certainly lacking in regard, so Mei prefers to call herself a “girlfriend.”

From The Daily Beast

As for the piece itself, at the time, I thought it portrayed the band as real and it did so not in any sort of derogatory way.

From The Daily Beast

If a man gave that testimony, you would never see those kind of derogatory remarks.

From The Daily Beast

After 11 years of service, his visa was just denied due to “derogatory information.”

From The Daily Beast

A mushir (marshal) would find it derogatory to his dignity to smoke out of a stem less than two yards in length.

From Project Gutenberg

It seemed to him particularly derogatory to have to appear before this Areopagus in person.

From Project Gutenberg

But, then, Nold is himself a great admirer of Most; he would not say anything derogatory, unless fully convinced that it is true.

From Project Gutenberg

In his haste he had said derogatory things about Robin in his heart, which was unreasonable.

From Project Gutenberg

He said, however, that it was nothing that it would be in any way derogatory to her honor to grant him.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• defamatory
• degrading
• demeaning
• disparaging
• sarcastic
• slanderous
• unflattering