condescend

verb

con·​de·​scend ˌkän-di-ˈsend 

condescended; condescending; condescends

intransitive verb

1

: to assume an air of superiority

The writer treats her readers as equals and never condescends to them.

2

a

: to descend to a less formal or dignified level : unbend

would not condescend to respond to such a crass remark

b

: to waive the privileges of rank

Did you know?

What is the difference between condescending and patronizing?

Very few words in English have exactly the same meaning; even words which appear to be entirely synonymous often will be found to have small differences in certain contexts. The words condescending and patronizing present a fine example of this. At first glance these words appear to be defined somewhat circularly: condescending often has the word "patronizing" in its definition, and patronize is defined, in part, as “to adopt an air of condescension toward.”

But both of these words have specialized senses that lend a shade of meaning to their synonymous senses. Patronizing can mean "giving support to" or "being a customer of," suggesting that the "condescending" sense implies superiority gained through a donor-dependent relationship.

The verb condescend used to be free of any hint of the offensive superiority it usually suggests today. It could mean literally "to go or come down" or, figuratively, "to willingly lower oneself to another’s level," senses that are still occasionally encountered in writings on the Bible. The idea of self-consciously lowering oneself is implied in the "patronizing" sense of condescending.

Synonyms

• deign
• stoop

Examples of condescend in a Sentence

I will not condescend to answer the sore loser's charge that I cheated in order to win the race.

wealthy people who tend to be condescending toward their poor relations

Recent Examples on the Web

Sarsgaard is brilliantly insufferable as the weaselly, condescending Tommy Molto, whose urgent drive to pin Carolyn’s murder on Rusty is almost certainly not fueled by a desire for justice. —Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 11 June 2024

The Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, meanwhile, say the museum has been intransigent, condescending and insensitive in consultations over the past two decades. —Sam Tabachnik, The Denver Post, 10 June 2024

Manhunt has offered suggestion after suggestion that Mary Todd Lincoln’s madwoman reputation is a distortion of history by depicting the ways she and, by extension, all women were sidelined and condescended to. —Keith Phipps, Vulture, 19 Apr. 2024

Once condescending and mocking of God and His people, the Lord had led me to a place of belief, forgiveness and salvation. —Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 31 Mar. 2024

Community meetings have been advertised poorly and Amtrak officials have been unresponsive or condescending when confronted with questions, the complaint says. —Madeleine O'Neill, Baltimore Sun, 2 May 2024

Rowling dismissed the remark as sexist and condescending. —Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 13 May 2024

As in that movie, Barras does not condescend to or patronize his youngest audience members. —Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019

Laugh-track shows were coming to seem not just condescending but also stiff and fusty. —Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, 15 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French condescendre, from Late Latin condescendere, from Latin com- + descendere to descend

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Kids Definition

condescend

verb

con·​de·​scend ˌkän-di-ˈsend 

1

: to lower oneself to a level considered less dignified or humbler than one's own

2

: to act in a way that suggests that one considers oneself better than other people

condescendingly

-ˈsen-diŋ-lē

adverb