pejorate
/ˈpiːdʒəɹeɪt/
"pejorate" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“pejorate” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To become or make (something) worse; to deteriorate, to worsen.
Corpus desk
Index EN-pejorate · pejorate · English
pejorate · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 8 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "P" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | pejorate |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈpiːdʒəɹeɪt/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “pejorate” in English
Rare enough to double-check
pejorate is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈpiːdʒəɹeɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To become or make (something) worse; to deteriorate, to worsen.".
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for pejorate, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin peiōrāt-, the participle stem of peiorō (“worsen”), from peior (“worse”). The correct English form is pejorate, spelled P-E-J-O-R-A-T-E.
Definition
- 1To become or make (something) worse; to deteriorate, to worsen.
Recorded use
Wiktionary exampleThese source excerpts show how pejorate appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
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.
Etymology
From Latin peiōrāt-, the participle stem of peiorō (“worsen”), from peior (“worse”).
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.