pejorate C2+ Topic:Cause, Change & Process US /ˈpɛdʒəreɪt/ UK /ˈpiːdʒəreɪt/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 verb to make or become worse; to acquire a more negative meaning Over centuries the word's sense began to pejorate into an insult. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 verb · to make or become worse; to... worsendeterioratedisparagedepreciate ↔ Opposites ameliorateimproveelevate Word family Derived forms pejoration Related forms pejorativepejoratively Etymology AI details From Late Latin peiorare ('to make worse'), from Latin peior ('worse'), comparative of malus ('bad'). peiorare Latin peior Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Cause, Change & Process Actions & Processes Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # pejorate **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** verb **IPA (US):** /ˈpɛdʒəreɪt/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈpiːdʒəreɪt/ ## Meanings 1. to make or become worse; to acquire a more negative meaning ## Examples - Over centuries the word's sense began to pejorate into an insult. ## Synonyms - worsen - deteriorate - disparage - depreciate ## Antonyms - ameliorate - improve - elevate ## Derived Forms - pejoration ## Related Forms - pejorative - pejoratively ## Roots and Affixes - Root: peiorare - Root: peior ## Etymology From Late Latin peiorare ('to make worse'), from Latin peior ('worse'), comparative of malus ('bad'). ## AI Etymology Pejorate is from Late Latin peiorare ('to make worse'), from Latin peior ('worse'), comparative of malus ('bad'). Important recorded forms include peiorare (Latin) and peior (Latin). The modern sense follows that older lexical line closely. In current use it covers to make or become worse; to acquire a more negative meaning. The wider family includes derived forms such as pejoration and related words such as pejorative and pejoratively. ## Topics - Cause, Change & Process - Actions & Processes - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown