pejoration
a shift toward a more negative meaning
Root
- pejor: worse, negative shift
Other words with the pejor root
- impair: to weaken, damage, or make worse
- pejorative: expressing disapproval or negativity
Pejor means worse. Pejoration is a word sliding downhill into a worse or more insulting meaning.
The word underwent pejoration as it shifted from neutral description to insult.
Pejoration is language changing direction. A word may begin neutral, then gather contempt as people use it in harsher settings.
The root gives the motion: worse. Pejorative language sounds negative now; pejoration names the historical slide that can make a word worse over time.