pejorate means to become or make (something) worse; to deteriorate, to worsen.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, pejorate ranks #894 of 12,955 for Most Incisive Words, #931 of 12,956 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #942 of 12,955 for Most Elegant Words, #1,627 of 12,956 for Most Ingenious Words.
pejorate is pronounced /ˈpiːdʒəɹeɪt/.
Why “pejorate” is a great word
To make or become worse; to deteriorate or worsen. From Latin *peiorare* ("to make worse"), from *peior* ("worse"). Attested in English from the 1640s. Unlike "ameliorate" (its direct and hopeful antonym) or "degrade" (which often carries a social tarnish or external demotion), "pejorate" speaks to a quieter, more inevitable decline. It is the slow marbling of fat in aging meat, the deepening crack in a foundation, or the gradual dimming of a friendship into mere acquaintance—the silent work of entropy in its most personal and lexical form.
Etymology
From Latin peiōrāt-, the participle stem of peiorō (“worsen”), from peior (“worse”).
verb
- To become or make (something) worse; to deteriorate, to worsen.“You do not appear to me to recognize the gravity of your situation, or you would be more careful not to pejorate the same by words which glance upon the purity of justice.”
Words closest in meaning
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