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Explain the proper use of the word “disrespected.”?

I often hear people say they were “disrespected.” They might say, ” I was “disrespected.” Is that correct english? Something doesn’t ring correct.

Top 8 Answers
lia792

Favorite Answer

NPR agrees with you…

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4566214

usa today:

http://transcripts.usatoday.com/Chats/transcript.aspx?c=294

however merriam webster’s online has it as a transitive verb:

http://m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary

I find it grating and don’t like it.

1

felines
If I respect your space or your opinions, you don’t mind. If I do not respect them, I have shown disrespect or have been disrespectful. Ergo, I disrespected.

We have a lot of new words that have been added to the language or have evolved from other words. I believe a lot of them result from laziness, in that people don’t realize that perfectly good words exist for what they’re trying to say, so they make up a word that sounds right to them. It gets repeated often enough that it joins the idiom.

1

Anonymous
Yes, that is correct English. Someone failed to show them the proper respect. For instance, one should always show respect to their parents. If one’s parents tell them not to do a certain thing and they do it anyway, they have disrespected their parents.
1

Ram
It’s not. The word has resurged from hip-hop culture meaning insufficient (and probably unwarranted) respect was given to someone. It is not acceptable language for business, academia or arguing your prejudice case in court.
3

Roy
Another example of a noun being turned into a verb. Impact is the classic example, but it is now generally accepted as a verb.
0

Anonymous
yes correct
1

Anonymous
well disrespected is past tense and so is was so it makes sense
2

gotta be Stella
get a dictionary
1

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