condescension

noun

Definition of condescensionnext
as in arrogance
the attitude or behavior of people who believe they are more intelligent or better than other people The author discusses the politics of the region without condescension.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar 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 condescension Plays written about teenagers are not easy to pull off with authenticity and without condescension. — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2026 Dog Day Afternoon has unique sympathy for its central characters, emphasizing their desperation and seemingly endless complexity without condescension or oversimplification. — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Aug. 2026 His condescension toward his mother surely represents patriarchal attitudes of the period. — Marlow Stern, Variety, 17 July 2026 Even more than his spelling book, Webster’s An American Dictionary of the English Language was an attempt to fashion the materials for writers to address that sort of condescension. — Literary Hub, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for condescension
Recent Examples of Synonyms for condescension
  1. arrogance
  2. disdain
  3. superiority
  4. dominance
  5. inflation
Noun
  • McVay and Snead have effectively built a culture of arrogance.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
  • These fascinating, illuminating episodes raise the question of whether great fiction requires the kind of single-mindedness and even arrogance that McCarthy cultivated.
    — New York Times, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of arrogance
Noun
  • The video was quickly met with disdain from Acton, the Democratic Governors Association, and others.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 21 Oct. 2026
  • For Moscow, though, the deals, the incentives, and even the shared disdain for Kyiv are not seen as a cue to play ball and back down, but as a sign that its US strategy is yielding results.
    — Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of disdain
Noun
  • Tampa Bay used clear superiority in its starting rotation, bullpen and late-series offense to eliminate Cleveland.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Oct. 2026
  • If military superiority alone could end wars, then Afghanistan and Iraq would have been relatively easy American wins.
    — Anna Mulrine Grobe, Christian Science Monitor, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of superiority
Noun
  • Conventional analysis treats chip dominance as a source of instability.
    — Ningrong Liu, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Vying for dominance as well are the haughty, self-serving bureaucrats of the area’s bustling capital of South Wood (Jemaine Clement, Marc Evan Jackson), who pull their political strings from the relative safety of the grand Pittock Mansion.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of dominance
Noun
  • Now, the market is stalled by surging mortgage rates, the compounding effect from years of rising home prices and an economic outlook dimmed by high inflation.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Lula can point to low unemployment and easing inflation, but those indicators have not changed perceptions for households struggling with everyday prices.
    — Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of inflation

Browse Nearby Words

condescends
condescension
condign
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Condescension.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/condescension. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All