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1 vote

Is there a way to find out if a word is commendatory, derogatory/pejorative, or either?

Your own experience seems to provide the answer to your general question: there is no single source for such context-dependent information. As to your specific question, astute is not used as ...
PaulTanenbaum's user avatar
1 vote

Is there a way to find out if a word is commendatory, derogatory/pejorative, or either?

Astute means on-the-mark; intelligent; savvy. I've not heard it used as a negative, but as another user said it's all in the delivery and any compliment can become an insult if you use it with ...
Saparinya's user avatar
2 votes

What does this insult mean? "Your wife, sir, under the pretense of keeping a bawdy house, is a receiver of stolen goods"

This retort was found in a joke book that was published before Boswell was born, but Boswell was "so desperate for material that he was too accepting of material he was provided." Boswell ...
Con Chapman's user avatar

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