pejoration
Word becomes negative
Pejoration is the process by which a word's meaning becomes more negative or less respectable over time. *Silly* once meant blessed or innocent; *hussy* meant housewife.
The opposite process, where words improve in connotation, is amelioration.
Pejoration appears mainly in linguistic discussions: The word "wench" underwent pejoration from young woman to prostitute.
Diminishing worth or purity
- deteriorationProcess of declining quality
- declineDecrease or refuse
- depreciationAsset value reduction over time
- devaluationLowering of currency worth
denigration · disparagement · belittlement · downgrading · diminution · vilification · defamation · discrediting
Making something less bad
- dysphemismHarsh term for neutral
- derogationBelittling or partial repeal
- vulgarizationMaking something coarse
- word historyStudy of linguistic origins
debasement
Diminishing worth or purity
- deteriorationProcess of declining quality
- declineDecrease or refuse
- depreciationAsset value reduction over time
devaluation · denigration · disparagement · belittlement · downgrading · diminution · vilification · defamation · discrediting · tarnishing
amelioration
Making something less bad
- dysphemismHarsh term for neutral
- derogationBelittling or partial repeal
- vulgarizationMaking something coarse
pejorationamelioration
Making something less bad
elevation · melioration · ennobling · upgrading · improvement