What to do when a friend is disrespectful to you and how to recognize when it's time to terminate the friendship.

An unexpected jab from a friend hurts more than an unpleasant remark from an unknown person.

Unlike with a stranger, seeing them again makes it harder to proceed.

Sara Jane Ho, the host of "Mind Your Manners" and author of the same book, knows how to handle rude comments without belittling others.

How to handle a sarcastic comment and quell negativity in social gatherings.

'Are you OK?'

When someone says something hurtful to you, I typically respond by asking, "Are you okay?" according to Ho's statement to CNBC Make It.

Those three words can politely signal that what your friend said was out-of-line.

When you ask, "Are you okay?" use a friendly tone.

"She explains that she is not being offensive, but rather is coming from a place of care and concern, with the intention of checking in with the other person."

The right way to shut down a negative friend

When a friend is going through a tough time, their negative thoughts can become all-consuming.

Thema Bryant, a professor of psychology at Pepperdine University and former president of the American Psychological Association, advised CNBC Make It that it's acceptable to push back if put-downs become more frequent.

She requests that the sentence be rewritten in a non-confrontational manner.

""Refute negative statements that put you or the group down in one sentence," she advises."

How to end the friendship

If your friendship has become untenable due to your friend's negative disposition or growing apart, it's acceptable to end the relationship.

Here are three steps to rejecting someone with kindness, as Bryant suggests.

• "It's better to communicate your desire to disconnect as soon as possible, even if it's uncomfortable," Bryant advises.
• I will end our friendship and provide a reason for doing so, but I won't go into a list of complaints about the person if I'm not trying to fix the relationship.
• Avoiding them when you have plans but calling them when you're bored is not a good way to maintain a friendship, Bryant says.

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