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Definition of deign
intransitive verb
: to condescend reluctantly and with a strong sense of the affront to one's superiority that is involved : stoop would not even deign to talk to him One iconoclastic architect, for example, doesn't deign to speak of bathrooms. — Carol Vogel
transitive verb
: to condescend to give or offer never so much as deigning a glance — George Meredith
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Examples of deign in a Sentence
I wouldn't deign to answer that absurd accusation.
Recent Examples of deign from the Web
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The head of NBC News' public relations didn't even deign to respond to the president's mocking gossip.
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A substantial part of it was due simply to the presence in the White House of a president* who didn't know anything about healthcare, and who wouldn't deign to learn anything about it, either.
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For these young soldiers, guarding Saddam was like visiting the zoo to watch a lion that, though deadly, rarely does anything but sit, eat and sleep, only occasionally deigning to walk across the cage to thrill his audience.
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Though one expects the royals, like de Havilland, won’t be deigning to comment.
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That Francis forced Festing’s resignation without deigning to pick up Burke’s gauntlet was further vindication of the Pope, who will soon appoint his own legate to run the Order.
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This pleasant, well-meaning woman, probably 40-45 years old, was practically aghast that a serious wine guy would deign to drink a screwcap wine…in public no less.
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The N.B.A. deigned to allow its dunk contest to take place in Brooklyn, even though the real All-Star Game was staged in Manhattan at Madison Square Garden.
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The veteran actor’s account of his first Batman encounter helps explain why Nolan’s superhero franchise has consistently attracted serious acting talent that might not normally deign to appear in comic book movies.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'deign'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of deign
Middle English, from Anglo-French deigner, from Latin dignare, dignari, from dignus worthy — more at decent
DEIGN Defined for English Language Learners
deign
playDefinition of deign for English Language Learners
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: to do something that you think you should not have to do because you are too important
DEIGN Defined for Kids
deign
playDefinition of deign for Students
deigned
;deigning
: to do something a person considers below his or her dignity The teenager deigned to play with his little cousin.
Learn More about deign
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See words that rhyme with deign Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for deign Spanish Central: Translation of deign Nglish: Translation of deign for Spanish speakers
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