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
  • For example, when a man in his sixties talks about the same thing, he’s seen as calm and logical, but when a woman in her twenties talks about it, she’s seen as arrogant or trying to act mature.
    Billboard Japan, Billboard, 15 May 2025
  • By losing some of its arrogant charm, Doom has also lost the means to back it up.
    Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 15 May 2025
Adjective
  • The trial had revealed Blue Cross’ domineering behavior.
    T. Christian Miller, ProPublica, 12 Apr. 2025
  • As mild-mannered schoolteacher Mr. Lisbon, James Woods plays a quiet counterpoint to his domineering wife.
    Sezin Devi Koehler, EW.com, 21 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
  • The show perpetuates corporate media’s retaliation against those who oppose its leftist, Marxist, Communist, socialist agenda — the ideological myth favored by superficial and supercilious showbiz types ever since All the President’s Men and Network.
    Armond White, National Review, 30 Apr. 2025
  • Arthur is … a lot too, but with a supercilious edge?
    Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 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
  • Light, fine, dominant and gorgeous aromas of black cherries.
    Tom Mullen, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025
  • Like every successful side in these early years of the World Cup, Uruguay 1950 had an outstanding centre-half in Varela, who was physically dominant and also a key attacking weapon.
    Michael Cox, New York Times, 11 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Condescending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/condescending. Accessed 24 May. 2025.

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