derogatory
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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.
“Worst-case scenario is that the sort of information that they are reporting, including the ‘no data available,’ provides, essentially, derogatory information to potential creditors and future landlords,” Dempsey said.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 2026
The idea runs back at least to the influential 18th-century English jurist William Blackstone, who instructed that “Acts of parliament derogatory from the power of subsequent parliaments bind not.”
From Slate • May 26, 2026
The hearing was told the messages were "offensive, derogatory and disrespectful" and that Heley had "failed to challenge and report such conduct".
From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026
At the time, the director’s attorney Martin Singer rejected the women’s claims, saying that his client “vehemently denies the outrageous derogatory allegations that have been reported about him.”
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 2, 2026
He says Youn is a derogatory name and since we are living in Vietnam, we should not use it.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
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.
