derogatory
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- derogatorily adverb
- derogatoriness noun
- nonderogatorily adverb
- nonderogatorilyness noun
- nonderogatory adjective
Etymology
Origin of derogatory
First recorded in 1495–1505; from Late Latin dērogātōrius “belonging to a repeal”; equivalent to derogate + -tory 1
Explanation
Something that's derogatory is insulting or disrespectful. If you make derogatory comments, that means you say things that are unflattering, unkind, or demeaning. Derogatory means about the same as insulting. Derogatory language is meant to hurt, and it usually does. If you feel offended or insulted by what someone says, the person probably said something derogatory. Racial, sexist, and homophobic slurs are all derogatory. Insults that mean someone is stupid or crazy are derogatory. Making a joke about someone's mother is derogatory.
Vocabulary lists containing derogatory
Of Mice and Men
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"Of Mice and Men"
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Grade 9, List 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That derogatory view wasn't correct then and it is even further from the truth now.
From BBC • Feb. 11, 2026
In an interview with The Times on Tuesday, Vorhis called Hale’s claims false and derogatory.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 27, 2026
I grew up calling it elaichi with such disdain that those unfamiliar with its English translation would’ve thought it was something utterly derogatory.
From Salon • Jan. 25, 2026
Donovan Louis Bazemore, portraying Auggie’s friend Jack, who in a moment of peer-pressure weakness made a viciously derogatory comment about Auggie, makes you feel his remorse and confusion.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 31, 2025
Soon they had enough derogatory information on Major Major to do whatever they wanted to with him.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
