TALKING DOWN Synonyms: 63 Similar and Opposite Words

talking down

verb

present participle of talk down

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

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 talking down Police chief Fuller is correct — talking down a place can be self-fulfilling. — Michael Walker, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026 Leadership training disputes The lawsuit alleges Petersen began subjecting Kennon to discriminatory treatment around January 2024, including talking down to her, ignoring her and questioning her judgment. — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 22 Aug. 2026 Any emphasis in his Jackson Hole address on his commitment to 2% inflation could help in talking down long bond yields. — Sarah Min, CNBC, 21 Aug. 2026 Not talking down to them, and tackling real subject matter that’s universal, about family and relationships and nature versus nurture and grief. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 18 Aug. 2026 The Malheur standoff also drew in the FBI’s elite Hostage Rescue Team, which Northern California sheriffs credited for talking down the Henrichsens and ending last month’s kidnapping without bloodshed. — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 9 Aug. 2026 In a daring high-wire act high above the East River, fearless NYPD cops spent nearly an hour on a span of the iconic Brooklyn Bridge talking down a woman desperately threatening to jump. — Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 9 July 2026 Politicos everywhere are talking down Johnson’s chances. — Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 25 Mar. 2026 During his remarks, Beshear accused Vance, whose memoir explores issues such as poverty and the lack of opportunity in Appalachia and the Rust Belt, of talking down to the people of Kentucky. — Hannah Demissie, ABC News, 22 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for talking down

Verb

The video, which has resurfaced on social media ahead of the midterms, features older Americans dismissing issues such as gun violence and climate change while sarcastically encouraging young people to stay home on Election Day.

— CBS News, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026
The usual suspects tried dismissing Jokic and Doncic as international players.

— Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of dismissing

Verb

The model then generated repeating radio-pulse patterns designed to be as different as possible from the surrounding pulsar signals while minimizing energy consumption.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 1 Nov. 2026
But the main ideas are progressive aggression, methodical movement, and minimizing impact on vehicles, bodies, land, and animals.

— Andrew P. Collins, The Drive, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of minimizing

Verb

The trial for a man accused of fatally running down his 17-year-old girlfriend in Burlington in 2023 continued Monday with his attorney disputing the findings of the medical examiner who ruled the death a homicide.

— Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 2 Nov. 2026
Mario Alberto Morales is accused of running down an immigrant with his car, causing serious injuries.

— Silvia Foster-Frau, Washington Post, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of running down

Verb

Kikuchi makes Haru’s occasionally mortifying romantic pursuit both funny and affecting, embracing the character’s impulsive, sometimes ridiculous behavior without diminishing the depth of her loss.

— Lisa Wong Macabasco, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026
The good news is that its strongest winds and heaviest rain will remain over the Atlantic, with impacts along our coastline gradually diminishing.

— Kate Bilo, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of diminishing

Verb

The case, announced Friday, accuses Floris and Benavides of falsely playing down their knowledge about a laptop the Justice Department says Hunter Biden abandoned at a computer repair shop in 2019.

— ABC News, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026
Mudryk, a right-footed forward best known for playing down the left, is among Leeds’ preferred options and talks are ongoing with Chelsea, despite an initial knock-back.

— Beren Cross, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026