A pejorative or slur is a word or grammatical form expressing a negative connotation, a low opinion, or a lack of respect toward someone or something.[1] It is also used to express criticism, hostility, or disregard. Sometimes, a term is regarded as pejorative in some social or ethnic groups but not in others, or may be originally pejorative but later adopt a non-pejorative sense (or vice versa) in some or all contexts.
Definition and etymology[]
The word pejorative is derived from a Late Latin past participle stem of peiorare, meaning "to make worse", from peior "worse".[2]
Melioration[]
When a term begins as pejorative and eventually is adopted in a non-pejorative sense, this is called "melioration" in historical linguistics. It may also be called amelioration, reclaiming,[3] or semantic change. An example is queer, which was reclaimed by activists and academics starting in the early 1990s.[4]
See also[]
Template:Div col
- List of ethnic slurs
- List of religious slurs
- Approbative
- Dysphemism
- Fighting words
- Graphic pejoratives in written Chinese
- Insult
- Judgmental language
- Profanity
- Defamation
Template:Div col end
References[]
Further reading[]
- Template:Cite journal
- Template:Cite news
- Template:Cite news
- Template:Cite news
External links[]
Template:Wiktionary
- Template:Commonscatinline
- Template:Cite IEP