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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Recent Examples of talking down
Forever captures the rush and confusion of first love without talking down to its audience.
—
Okla Jones, Essence, 14 Dec. 2025
Never met someone successful ever talking down to someone online.
—Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2025
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
Okla Jones, Essence, 14 Dec. 2025
Never met someone successful ever talking down to someone online.
—Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for talking down
Verb
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The company rejected the measure, dismissing Friedmann as a disgruntled ex-convict, but his campaign got widespread attention.—
James Verini,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
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By dismissing shooters as incomprehensible villains, Peterson says, families and communities may miss warning signs in the young people around them.—
Brit McCandless Farmer,
CBS News,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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,
5 Mar. 2026
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Astronaut menus are carefully constructed to maximize nutrition and calories while minimizing storage requirements, preparation needs, and the possibility of contamination.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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During pregnancy, the two vertical muscles running down the front of your abdomen, the rectus abdominis muscles, must stretch to accommodate your growing baby.—
Jennifer Byrne,
Popular Science,
5 Mar. 2026
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The elbow-length collared shirt featured a plunging neckline and an opaque panel running down the very middle of her chest, leaving her bare sides and back covered in just the see-through material.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Puerto Rico is missing Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa due to insurance restrictions, considerably diminishing their firepower, but have solid pitching and the advantage of playing at home in their group stage.—
J.J. Bailey,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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Palomar’s 48 partner agencies are similarly affected by diminishing VOCA funds.—
Maddy Keyes,
The Frontier,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Not playing down the stretch was a function of stiffness.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Jan. 2026
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Instead of taking a low profile and playing down any claims to Taiwan’s independent status like his more cautious DPP predecessor Tsai Ying-wen, Lai has lurched toward formal independence with a succession of speeches making the case for Taiwanese nationhood.—
Lyle Goldstein,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Instead of writing off the cost of certain assets over several years, businesses can generally deduct the full cost upfront, within limits.—
Forbes Money Team,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
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Also since the press conference, some doctors have begun writing off-label prescriptions for autistic children, against the advice of medical groups including the American Academy of Pediatrics.—
Jon Hamilton,
NPR,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Talking down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/talking%20down. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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