patronizing 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of patronizingnext
as in condescending

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patronizing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of patronize
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 patronizing
Adjective
Attempts have been so grand as to come off as wildly patronizing. — Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 14 May 2026 John’s patronizing, congratulatory tone with regard to Weisz’s character’s dalliance with Vlad doesn’t help. — Meg Walters, Glamour, 9 Mar. 2026
Verb
The Green family started patronizing the restaurant in the 1980s. — Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 May 2026 Trade school is often talked about as an alternative to a four-year degree, but the discourse can be patronizing, with jobs in construction framed as an off-ramp for the kids who can’t cut it in real college. — Emma Green, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for patronizing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patronizing
  1. condescending
  2. cutting
  3. endorsing
  4. domineering
  5. advocating
  6. dominant
  7. supporting
  8. disdainful
Adjective
  • Murdoch is thick-skinned and accustomed to being underestimated by the condescending Brits, who see him as a crass interloper.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Ahead of his team’s clash with Australia, Turkey captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu completely dismissed his opponent in a surprisingly honest and condescending assessment.
    — Tom Bogert, New York Times, 16 June 2026
Definition of condescending
Verb
  • Trading firms began using low-latency (shorter delay) technology and co-locating servers inside exchange data centers, cutting trade execution times to milliseconds and making speed itself a competitive advantage.
    — Brian Lund, Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Jet fuel costs have skyrocketed, too, leading airlines to hike airfare and baggage fees while cutting less profitable flights.
    — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of cutting
Verb
  • George Clooney has also defended Ruffalo’s right to speak out while stopping short of endorsing all of his claims.
    — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Leonard did little if any endorsing, collected the extra checks, and essentially was paid above and beyond the salary cap.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of endorsing
Adjective
  • She’s played with a darkly enigmatic, unnerving quality by James in her finest work to date — a knowing, even domineering smile often curling around her lips.
    — Tomris Laffly, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Rebecca Hall, playing his elegantly domineering wife, gets even less.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of domineering
Verb
  • Cheng said at the time that she was told by her supervisor that employees of the Journal should not be seen as advocating for press freedom in a place like Hong Kong given a potential conflict of interest.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The organization is advocating for greater federal support through the bipartisan Jewish American Security Act, which would strengthen security assistance for at-risk nonprofit institutions.
    — Ariella Noveck, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of advocating
Adjective
  • Vuskovic’s early pairing with 34-year-old skipper Lewis Dunk — who has also played every minute in the league this season — looks like being a dominant partnership for Hurzeler.
    — Andy Naylor, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • In the dominant 56-7 win over FCS opponent Lafayette College, new head coach Jason Candle and his staff was able to see two different quarterbacks throw to 13 different receivers and hand the ball off to five different running backs.
    — Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of dominant
Verb
  • The company says the plant could provide roughly 400 MW of electrical power without the risk of plasma disruptions, supporting its intended role as a source of baseload energy.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Finland has also been an attractive location for digital infrastructure supporting social media workloads, with TikTok planning on expanding its data center capacity in the country.
    — Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of supporting
Adjective
  • As Cusk has become more disdainful of fiction and more insistent on the documentary function of art, her work has become vaguer and less concrete, fading like old ink into blurred indeterminacy.
    — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
  • It was delivered with sneers, an ugly, small-minded few minutes in support of the sclerotic, disdainful of dynamic change.
    — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 25 July 2026
Definition of disdainful

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Cite this Entry

“Patronizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patronizing. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

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