as in dismissed
to express scornfully one's low opinion of
a company that prefers to talk up its own products rather than talk down those of its competitors
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Recent Examples of talked down
The contractors talked down to me.
—
Literary Hub, 15 May 2026
Others described feeling they were being talked down to.
—Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 13 May 2026
Baldwin also said district custodians are understaffed, supplied with broken or old equipment, have been denied language interpreters during meetings and are in general talked down to by administrative staff.
—Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
There’s always a chance that Fetterman’s prospective foes get talked down from the ledge.
—Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 24 Mar. 2026
After Jacksonville, after years of fans feeling talked down to and reporters feeling undermined, this silly little event served a purpose for a change.
—Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
While Joan is visiting the Westside Hospital with her students, Michael (Omar Metwally) offers her the Chief of Internal Medicine position after she, not very subtly, told him not to hire anyone who is asking for it and talked down other potential candidates.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2025
Last week, Ralo took to social media to call Thug a divisive figure who had previously talked down on Rich Homie Quan and YFN Lucci to peers in a similar manner.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2025
Gareth isn’t so easily talked down, however.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2025
Literary Hub, 15 May 2026
Others described feeling they were being talked down to.
—Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 13 May 2026
Baldwin also said district custodians are understaffed, supplied with broken or old equipment, have been denied language interpreters during meetings and are in general talked down to by administrative staff.
—Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
There’s always a chance that Fetterman’s prospective foes get talked down from the ledge.
—Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 24 Mar. 2026
After Jacksonville, after years of fans feeling talked down to and reporters feeling undermined, this silly little event served a purpose for a change.
—Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
While Joan is visiting the Westside Hospital with her students, Michael (Omar Metwally) offers her the Chief of Internal Medicine position after she, not very subtly, told him not to hire anyone who is asking for it and talked down other potential candidates.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2025
Last week, Ralo took to social media to call Thug a divisive figure who had previously talked down on Rich Homie Quan and YFN Lucci to peers in a similar manner.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2025
Gareth isn’t so easily talked down, however.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for talked down
Verb
-
The novel was initially ignored, and then—after Graham Greene called it one of the best books of the year—dismissed, and then banned, first in the UK and then in France.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 June 2026
-
Resuming on 55-5 and requiring 254 for an unlikely win, New Zealand lost its remaining five wickets inside the first two hours of play and was dismissed for 138.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 June 2026
Verb
-
In recent years, younger academics increasingly alleged that Wood was too well-established, the epitome of the old-school historian who minimized the lives of slaves, women and Indigenous people.—
Hillel Italie,
Fortune,
9 June 2026
-
In recent years, younger academics increasingly alleged that Wood was too well-established, the epitome of the old-school historian who minimized the lives of slaves, women and Indigenous people.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
Diamondbacks center fielder Jorge Barrosa ran down five fly balls by Dodgers hitters.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
2 June 2026
-
As Roberto De Zerbi ran down the touchline in celebration of Joao Palhinha giving Tottenham Hotspur the lead against Everton on the final day of the Premier League season, one of his players was in hot pursuit.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
Polis wrote in his veto letter that the bill would have diminished incentives for fire departments to participate in the Colorado Firefighter Trust, which replaced state workers’ compensation for firefighters’ cancer claims.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
4 June 2026
-
Phosphorus has diminished some.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
Advertisement New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, himself a long-suffering Knicks fan who attended a playoff game on May 21, has played down the chances of Gotham City-style meltdown.—
Rebecca Schneid,
Time,
27 May 2026
-
But Rubio played down the issue.—
Lorne Cook,
Chicago Tribune,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Talked down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/talked%20down. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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