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
Relevance
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
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
as in condescending
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of 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
Time, 23 July 2025
One thing Obama seems very comfortable with is offering up his patronizing advice to the masses for a pretty penny.
—Grace Curley, Boston Herald, 21 July 2025
Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 1 Sep. 2025
All were charged with patronizing prositution while eight people were charged with solicitaion of a minor.
—Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patronizing
Verb
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
Verb
Yet, for many consumers, virtue capitalism can offer compelling reasons to patronize a business.
—Time, 23 July 2025
One thing Obama seems very comfortable with is offering up his patronizing advice to the masses for a pretty penny.
—Grace Curley, Boston Herald, 21 July 2025
Adjective
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
All were charged with patronizing prositution while eight people were charged with solicitaion of a minor.
—Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patronizing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patronizing
Adjective
-
Here’s one troubling economic indicator: Not even saving the world has earned Chris Smith, or the rest of the 11th Street Kids, anything more than a condescending, dead-in-the-water job interview.—
Scott Meslow,
Vulture,
22 Aug. 2025
-
Worse, Trump's condescending and coercive relationship with Zelensky—evident since the impeachment scandal—undermines trust.—
Gordon G. Chang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Cappellazzo could be domineering.—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
25 Aug. 2025
-
His Victor is the product of a coddling mother (Mia Goth), who dies young and leaves him emotionally adrift, and a domineering father (Charles Dance), who molds him into a brilliant but heedless inventor.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
This particular finding presents a more nuanced framing of gun violence and challenges dominant narratives about Chicago’s violence that have plagued the city’s reputation for decades.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Google’s browser is now even more dominant, increasing its share to more than 70%.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 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
-
Danielle Haim sings, more disdainful than saddened by the dissolution at the heart of the single.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
12 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Patronizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patronizing. Accessed 5 Sep. 2025.
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