Pejorative
A word or phrase is
pejorative if it implies contempt or disapproval. The adjective
pejorative is synonymous with
derogatory and
dyslogistic (noun:
dyslogism) (
antonyms:
meliorative,
eulogistic, noun
eulogism). Dyslogisms such as "pea-brain" and "bottom-feeder" are words and phrases essentially pejorative by their nature. Although
pejorative (adj.) means much the same thing as
disparaging, the latter term may be applied to a look or
gesture as well as to— in the evocative language of
gesture, it may not be easy to distinguish a disparaging gesture from a dismissive or merely
skeptical one, however.
Pejorative expressions that are not
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 breath 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
Quaker, Yankee,
Tory and
Whig, and
Ham radio operator, which were originally
slang insults but came to be worn with pride. In
historical linguistics, this phenomenon is known as
melioration, or
amelioration. Sometimes a term is still considered as a pejorative word by some, but not by others-- for example,
Saturday night special. In other cases, some groups have attempted to reclaim formerly
offensive words applied against them, with limited success. Such terms as
nigger (
nigga),
redneck,
cracker,
dyke,
queer,
faggot,
tranny,
kraut,
geek,
chav,
acidhead, or
cripple are only considered pejorative if used by a non-member of the group. British English also incorporates many
British regional slurs.
Conversely, a neutral (non-pejorative) term may grow to become pejorative. This phenomenon is called
pejoration. For example, the term
mentally retarded was originally used as a
euphemism, as had been
moron before, itself a euphemism for
idiot, in order to avoid true dyslogisms such as
feebleminded or
half-witted. But it quickly grew to have a pejorative sense of its own. Another example is the use of the word cripple being replaced by
handicapped. Both of these are considered pejorative with the term "
physically challenged" as the current euphemism. This same progression, from neutral to pejorative, is happening with the words
challenged and
special, used in the same sense, today. The term "disabled" is now seen as the correct euphemism for people with both mental and physical challenges. An even more 'correct' form that can be used is "person with disabilities." On the horizon, a new euphemism, "neurologically challenged," appears ready to take the place of these terms should they also become pejorative. Language writer
Steven Pinker has called this process "the
euphemism treadmill."
Since meanings change over time, an up-to-date dictionary should be consulted for information on specific words.
Pejorative comes from the
Latin pejoratus, "made worse", and made a surprisingly late entry in written English, 1882, probably deriving from a contemporary French usage,
péjoratif. [
1]. It is so frequently misspelled as
perjorative that the
Oxford English Dictionary website contains a
FAQ entry about this misspelling.
Two! Four! Six! Eight!Homer's crime was very great![pause]
"Great" meaning "large" or "immense",We use it in the pejorative sense!- Protesters in a season 6 episode of
The Simpsons:
Homer Badman, on Homer's alleged sexual harassment of a college-aged
feminist babysitter.
*
Antonym: Hypocoristic*
Semantic change*
Historical linguistics*
Term of disparagement*
List of ethnic slurs*
List of political epithets*
List of sexual slurs
