meaning - Derogative vs Offensive


Is a derogative comment an offensive comment?


To what extent are these two words synonyms?



Answer



Derogative comments can be offensive, depending on context - but they are certainly not synonyms. There can be a lot of overlap between the two, trying to explain the differences with examples:


Derogative not offensive : Consider the example of 'housewife' given in MW definition for derogative - it might be 'belittling' or w/e (personally I disagree but it does have negative connotations for some people) but you can hardly say that calling someone a housewife is 'offensive'.


Offensive not derogative : Some terms such as cripple are recently considered offensive, with people preferring to substitute 'handicapped' or 'special needs' etc. as terms. However as a statement of fact it isn't derogative (you aren't belittling someone by pointing out they can't walk properly)


Both derogative & offensive : See the list of ethnic slurs on Wikipedia, most of them are both derogative (having some negative connotation) and offensive for various reasons to the target populace.


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