detractive

adjective

Definition of detractivenext
as in slighting
intended to make a person or thing seem of little importance or value used the detractive epithet "McJob" to describe what his feckless son-in-law did for work

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for detractive
  1. insulting
  2. contemptuous
  3. critical
  4. malicious
  5. disparaging
  6. disdainful
  7. degrading
  8. pejorative
Adjective
  • But to propose trading him for anything short of a fourth-round pick is insulting.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Afterward, Lisa brags about her pickpocketing skills and says theft is easier and less insulting to the mark.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of insulting
Adjective
  • Yet the two plots remain separate and contemptuous of each other, with no denouement in sight.
    — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Below the surface, there is a lot of contemptuous finger-pointing about where the anti-AI energy now coursing through the political-media landscape is coming from.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of contemptuous
Adjective
  • Key Takeaways These artificial channels are up to five times more selective for lithium, offering a simpler way to extract the critical battery material.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Seeking to acquire as wide a tent of support as possible, Student List purposefully left its position on most critical issues outside of corruption vague and noncommittal.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of critical
Adjective
  • The malicious system component silently installs apps that look like weather tools, app lockers and other everyday utilities.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The Federal Bureau of Investigation also warned that malicious actors could exploit the vulnerabilities to execute code remotely, putting sensitive data and networks at risk.
    — Jenny Lee, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of malicious
Adjective
  • Felix points to Trump’s disparaging and false comments against Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, which put a target on the back of many Haitian immigrants.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2026
  • The irony is that Trump has been more disparaging and dismissive of the military than any other president.
    — Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Mar. 2026
Definition of disparaging
Adjective
  • As Cusk has become more disdainful of fiction and more insistent on the documentary function of art, her work has become vaguer and less concrete, fading like old ink into blurred indeterminacy.
    — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
  • It was delivered with sneers, an ugly, small-minded few minutes in support of the sclerotic, disdainful of dynamic change.
    — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 25 July 2026
Definition of disdainful
Adjective
  • At Fuerte Guaicaipuro, a military facility, investigators documented detainees being confined in pit-like cells dug below ground level and subjected to cold, food deprivation and other degrading treatment.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The beating can look degrading, but the check might protect opportunities for hundreds of athletes who never appear in the game.
    — Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of degrading
Adjective
  • The point is, the term is meant to be pejorative, used to describe — and let’s face it, judge — the most exaggerated form of plastic surgery, politics aside.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Calling something a white wine thriller could be interpreted as pejorative, if not sexist.
    — Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of pejorative
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

detractions
detractive
detractor
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Cite this Entry

“Detractive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detractive. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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