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

/ -trɪ, dɪˈrɒɡətərɪ /

adjective

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

Other Word Forms

• derogatorily adverb
• derogatoriness noun
• nonderogatorily adverb
• nonderogatorilyness noun
• nonderogatory 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

Girls and women with darker skin tones are called derogatory names and face discrimination; and skin lightening products make for big business, earning billions of dollars in profits.

From BBC

A third councillor has been suspended after allegations emerged about his social media posts that included derogatory references to Reform UK dating to before his election.

From BBC

A doctor has been struck off for assaulting a woman, making racist or derogatory comments and uploading an image of a patient's brain on his dating profile.

From BBC

Instead, users post harsh derogatory reviews of women.

From BBC

Kaufman made a playlist of all the tracks he could find and gave it a derogatory name.

From BBC

Related Words

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