pejoration

== English == === Etymology === From Latin peiōrātiō. By surface analysis, pejorate +‎ -ion. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˌpiːd͡ʒəˈɹeɪʃən/, /pɛ-/ === Noun === pejoration (countable and uncountable, plural pejorations) The act or process of becoming worse; worsening or degeneration. (linguistics) Any process by which a word acquires a more negative meaning. Synonym: pejorativization Antonym: amelioration Coordinate term: euphemism treadmill ==== Derived terms ==== === References === === Further reading === pejoration on Wikipedia.Wikipedia