as in dismissing
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of talking down
Worldfor never talking down to me or being too afraid to address the hard things in life.
—
Anna Earl, Parents, 11 Sep. 2025
Boys Go to Jupiter captures an adolescent malaise without talking down to its teens — there is no preaching about real jobs, responsibilities, or five-year plans.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 14 Aug. 2025
Anna Earl, Parents, 11 Sep. 2025
Boys Go to Jupiter captures an adolescent malaise without talking down to its teens — there is no preaching about real jobs, responsibilities, or five-year plans.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for talking down
Verb
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Dills encourages parents to explore and research their options before dismissing Montessori education.—
Katrina Donham,
Parents,
23 Sep. 2025
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Not too long ago, Western markets were subtly dismissing Chinese cars for coming off as bargain-basement alternatives.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Keeping your hands free while solo and on the move enhances alertness by minimizing distractions and improves reaction time for unexpected situations.—
Kristy Alpert,
Travel + Leisure,
28 Sep. 2025
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Once stationary, deactivate all lights except the hazard flashers, engage the emergency brake, and release the brake pedal to ensure your tail lights remain unlit, minimizing the chance of other drivers colliding with your stationary vehicle.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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As for her footwear, Taylor went with dramatic platforms in a shade of military green, featuring silver mary jane-style buckles and laces running down the front.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
24 Sep. 2025
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He could be seen excitedly running down the Philly sideline while gesturing to his groin.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Football, it could be argued, is diminishing its worth by almost never taking a break and playing virtually year-round.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
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Advertisement Risks of multivitamins Many of us grew up striving for 100% on every test, but overachieving with multivitamins comes with risk—diminishing their benefits or causing harmful side effects.—
Matt Fuchs,
Time,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Before this weekend’s game, Town manager Gavin Macpherson was playing down the rivalry.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
14 Sep. 2025
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After a week of playing down to – and then slightly lower than – their last-place opponents, the Dodgers completed a three-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies with a 9-0 victory on Wednesday night.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The mistake is writing off these sayings as coach speak.—
Daniel Popper,
New York Times,
22 Sep. 2025
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No one is writing off the Lions by any means (Detroit and Green Bay have the shortest odds to win the NFC after Philadelphia).—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Talking down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/talking%20down. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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