condescending 1 of 2

condescending

2 of 2

verb

present participle of condescend
1
as in stooping
to descend to a level that is beneath one's dignity I will not condescend to answer the sore loser's charge that I cheated in order to win the race

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in cutting
to assume or treat with an air of superiority wealthy people who tend to be condescending toward their poor relations

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of condescending
Adjective
Indeed, at a welcoming dinner in Harrison’s mansion, Erzsébet swiftly puts the condescending and clueless guests away with her words, delivered with strength, dignity and sneaky bemusement. Carole Horst, Variety, 17 Dec. 2024 That loathsome, condescending, low-brow slur would apparently include the 74 million people who voted for Trump in 2020, a record only Biden himself has bettered on his way to being maybe the worst president ever. Jay Ambrose, Boston Herald, 23 Jan. 2024 Both projects share a similar eye for the grotesquerie of the banal, with a generally condescending perspective toward rural desperation. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Dec. 2024 Yes, Emily goes on to flip her condescending date the bird before bombarding a top Parisian designer in his box—two decidedly un-Audrey gestures. Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 11 Sep. 2024 See All Example Sentences for condescending
Recent Examples of Synonyms for condescending
Adjective
  • And all the polite cheeriness about singlehood—especially from partnered people, in a society still designed for couples—can feel disingenuous and patronizing.
    Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 2 Apr. 2025
  • If your partner takes a patronizing tone or talks down to you, even while making a reasonable request, take note, Jackson said.
    Charles Trepany, USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • That doesn’t portray a hero, but rather someone so arrogant as to invent his own law and appoint himself its executioner.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2025
  • Fed Up in Illinois Dear Fed Up: Is Edie mean, arrogant, disobedient and rude in the presence of her parents, or has she been invited to spend time with your girls separately?
    Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • As mild-mannered schoolteacher Mr. Lisbon, James Woods plays a quiet counterpoint to his domineering wife.
    Sezin Devi Koehler, EW.com, 21 Apr. 2025
  • Among them towers the frighteningly domineering Honoria Glossop.
    Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Wise minds inside the Trump administration will hopefully choose to drop a suit first introduced during by a Biden administration reflexively disdainful of big.
    John Tamny, Forbes.com, 10 Apr. 2025
  • Now, with Donald J. Trump installed in the White House, Mr. Zelensky is facing a new challenge: maintaining good relations with the country’s most critical ally and a president who has been disdainful toward him and skeptical of military aid.
    Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • As April unfolds, the full moon in Libra (April 12) shines a light on your bossy 10th house of career, authority and reputation in the world.
    Valerie Mesa, People.com, 1 Apr. 2025
  • But too often, the fear of being seen as bossy, rude, or confrontational holds a lot of us back from speaking up.
    Jenna Ryu, SELF, 5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Arthur is … a lot too, but with a supercilious edge?
    Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2025
  • Not that Allen wasn’t above poking fun at a friend: In many of their films together, Allen presented Roberts as so cool-headed as to verge on the comically supercilious.
    Peter Tonguette, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • One chord appears to speak to the other, sounding almost impudent in their simplicity, equal parts ecstatic and heartbreakingly melancholic.
    Sam Davies, Rolling Stone, 10 Mar. 2025
  • In short, Moscow sees Montenegro as both strategically valuable and an impudent upstart that has thumbed its nose at the Russian bear while genuflecting before NATO and Washington.
    Edward P. Joseph, Foreign Affairs, 22 Dec. 2016
Adjective
  • From being drafted in the first round to somehow exceeding those expectations, Smith and Martin represented something much bigger than their dominant play on the field.
    Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Apr. 2025
  • Even with Harris included, no candidate holds a dominant lead – a contrast with other surveys that have shown her far ahead.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Condescending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/condescending. Accessed 1 May. 2025.

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