1
as in to condescend
to assume or treat with an air of superiority
a director with an unpleasant habit of patronizing even his most gifted actors
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in to endorse
to promote the interests or cause of
a company that loyally patronizes the arts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of patronize
Liam, the brother who clearly wanted this reunion the most, and wore the inability to re-consummate the brotherly relationship like an open wound, is still given mostly to jokes on stage more than serious statements or anything that patronizes the audience.
—
Chris Willman, Variety, 8 Sep. 2025
Leaders were supposed to patronize the arts, not participate in them.
—Chris Schembra, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025
Shop In Uptown Put your plastic to good use by patronizing Uptown’s lovely community of small businesses.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 1 Sep. 2025
Will all of the people who loudly protested the new logo patronize Cracker Barrel more often?
—Megan Poinski, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patronize
Chris Willman, Variety, 8 Sep. 2025
Leaders were supposed to patronize the arts, not participate in them.
—Chris Schembra, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025
Shop In Uptown Put your plastic to good use by patronizing Uptown’s lovely community of small businesses.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 1 Sep. 2025
Will all of the people who loudly protested the new logo patronize Cracker Barrel more often?
—Megan Poinski, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patronize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patronize
Verb
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Jake’s dismissive, condescending tone with Roxie here is new and seems to mark the final nail in Jake’s coffin when, moments later, Detective Seung (Hettienne Park) shows up with news of Anna’s death.—
Andy Andersen,
Vulture,
18 Sep. 2025
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Dismissing these concerns as mere xenophobia is both condescending and factually wrong.—
Letters to the Editor,
Oc Register,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In response to that news, Colbert received an outpouring of support from many of his current and former fellow talk-show hosts, including Kimmel, who even took out a billboard in Los Angeles endorsing Colbert (against his own show), for an Emmy.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Oct. 2025
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Although the ‘9-9-6’ workweek violates Chinese labor laws, it was famously endorsed by Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma in 2019.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In the 1960s, child psychoanalyst Bruno Bettelheim advocated for separating autistic children from their mothers, according to Vicedo.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
26 Sep. 2025
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October is Filipino American History Month, a time to uplift the contributions of Filipino Americans across the generations while continuing to advocate for a just society, according to the Filipino American National Historical Society.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Freep.com,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The 2-point conversion attempt failed, but the Packers cut the gap to 21-6.—
Frank Rajkowski,
Twin Cities,
27 Sep. 2025
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Stocks got some help from a report on inflation that suggested the Federal Reserve may be able to continue cutting interest rates.—
Boston Herald Wire Services,
Boston Herald,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Smotrich demanded there be no agreement on Palestinian Authority or Qatari involvement in Gazan governance, nor anything that supports the concept of a future independent Palestinian state.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
29 Sep. 2025
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The Patriots' defense has been solid, holding opponents to under 100 rushing yards in each of their first three games, but the offense must improve to support the defense.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Patronize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patronize. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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