as in condescending
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in cutting
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
2
as in endorsing
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 patronizing
Krista Kafer, Denver Post, 20 Oct. 2025
Engelbert has received a ton of backlash recently after the commissioner allegedly made dismissive and patronizing remarks about player concerns.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2025
Nahid Siamdoust, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2026
Eigenberger said the public can also support by patronizing the business, which will remain open during regular business hours even through the extreme cold this weekend.
—Drake Bentley, jsonline.com, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for patronizing
Adjective
Fear-mongering, which comes off equal parts paranoid and patronizing, is the surest way to make people stop listening.
—Krista Kafer, Denver Post, 20 Oct. 2025
Engelbert has received a ton of backlash recently after the commissioner allegedly made dismissive and patronizing remarks about player concerns.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2025
Verb
By the turn of the 21st century, ordinary Iranians were patronizing internet cafés—Tehran alone had about 1,500 by 2001—and meeting in online chat rooms.
—Nahid Siamdoust, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2026
Eigenberger said the public can also support by patronizing the business, which will remain open during regular business hours even through the extreme cold this weekend.
—Drake Bentley, jsonline.com, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for patronizing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patronizing
Adjective
-
And the motivational quotes on the walls are so condescending.—
Adriane Quinlan,
Curbed,
23 Feb. 2026
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Kudos to Tara for keeping her composure as Whelan offers this condescending remark about Libya.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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This is an unsustainable path if the state hopes to avoid cutting health, education and other priorities.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Apr. 2026
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Another option is to remove some of the pups, by cutting under the plants, and gathering the leaves with roots.—
Tom MacCubbin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Birchmore’s cousins, Angelique Pirozzi and Justina Danick, are endorsing Adam Deitch in the race, which has grown to include a handful of candidates seeking to succeed Morrissey, who is not running for reelection.—
Lance Reynolds,
Boston Herald,
15 Apr. 2026
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Instead, in front of a crowd of constituents, they are asked to answer to direct questions about endorsing PACT plans.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Token, pushover human Seth (Gil Ozeri) lives under the thumb of the tiny, domineering dog Brandi (the incomparable Amy Sedaris), a high maintenance diva with a yen for single-use Stanley cups.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
20 Apr. 2026
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After moving at a glacial pace—it’s been 20 years since the original 2006 film—the movie is having its world premiere on Monday evening, reintroducing a select group of New Yorkers to Meryl Streep’s Miranda Priestly, the chicly domineering editor in chief of Runway magazine.—
Savannah Walsh,
Vanity Fair,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But Dorit Reiss, a vaccine law expert at UC Law San Francisco, said the political risk of advocating for vaccines may not be as strong among Republicans as some people assume.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Apr. 2026
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Others, like Polk, have been advocating for the law to be overturned.—
Ryan Ermey,
CNBC,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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If anything, Leeds were more dominant and more aggrieved in the first match than Bournemouth were in the second.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
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That came on the heels of Monday’s dominant pitching performance in a 2-0 win over Bartlett.—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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All of the proceeds raised from the event went to supporting Altman's family.—
Victor Jacobo,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
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By his third hosting gig in 2014, he was joined onstage during his monologue by Leonardo DiCaprio, his co-star in the searing satire The Wolf of Wall Street, a Martin Scorsese picture that netted Hill his second Oscar nomination for best supporting actor after Moneyball just three years earlier.—
Josh Spiegel,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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In real life, Natalie is detached from her children and disdainful of her spouse, prone to violent outbursts as the farm spins out of her control.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
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British writers’ disdainful accounts of the Rathayatra led, metonymically, to a pejorative sense of a juggernaut as a massive crushing vehicle, which was later extrapolated to its present meaning in English usage.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Patronizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patronizing. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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