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
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
Worldfor never talking down to me or being too afraid to address the hard things in life.
—Anna Earl, Parents, 12 Mar. 2026
Misfits is a great example of a show for a teenage audience that respects its demographic rather than talking down to them.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Mar. 2026
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
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
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
Worldfor never talking down to me or being too afraid to address the hard things in life.
—Anna Earl, Parents, 12 Mar. 2026
Misfits is a great example of a show for a teenage audience that respects its demographic rather than talking down to them.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Mar. 2026
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
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
-
Federal lawyers said judges made mistakes in dismissing the cases by arguing the Civil Rights Act granted the attorney general access to local voting records.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Quit dismissing them as uneducated.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Together, LaSota and Danielson hatched a plan to convince other Rationalists to live together on boats too, with the idea of minimizing their collective living expenses in order to make more room in their lives for intellectual work — work on AI safety in particular.—
Tessa Stuart,
Rolling Stone,
23 Apr. 2026
-
The concept de la maison is a commitment to sustainability and minimizing waste.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Flight meant running down the slope of the roof and jumping.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Tuesday’s game ended with defensive replacement Will Benson, acquired in exchange for Hajjar ahead of the 2023 season, running down a long drive by San Francisco’s Daniel Susac to secure the victory.—
C. Trent Rosecrans,
New York Times,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Fans’ attachment is largely to the kids, who aren’t kids anymore, and ’80s nostalgia, which is a diminishing resource.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
23 Apr. 2026
-
The densest areas fragment first, diminishing further in size.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The azul and chrome won the round of 16 opener 3-2 at Snapdragon Stadium, holding on despite playing down one man for the most of the match and down two men for the final minutes of regulation and all of stoppage time.—
Apress,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Mar. 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
-
To disregard Sephora and its fans would be like writing off Bravo Con or Comic Con.—
Marisa Meltzer,
Vanity Fair,
7 Apr. 2026
-
In addition to changing federal regulations, such as the end of up to $7,500 in federal tax credits, the R2 comes to market as many automakers are pulling back their EV plans or writing off billions of dollars in losses amid slower-than-expected adoption of the vehicles.—
Michael Wayland,
CNBC,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Talking down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/talking%20down. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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