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
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
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That included dismissing all claims against the Herald defendants and Mayor Wu.—
Flint McColgan,
Boston Herald,
14 June 2026
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Media covered the story briefly before dismissing it as youthful overreaction or isolated activism.—
Steve Denning,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Verb
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Three-dimensional tracking of meteors is a game changer, allowing scientists to pinpoint landing sites and retrieve meteorites rapidly after impact, minimizing contamination from our terrestrial environment.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
12 June 2026
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Each head has its own wiper and pad for the nozzle to sit on, minimizing oozing between swaps.—
Michael Lydick,
PC Magazine,
10 June 2026
Verb
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In left field, Taylor kept the Reds from going ahead by running down a fly ball near the line and throwing out a baserunner at home plate.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 June 2026
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For a young man who had scarcely left Utah in his youth, every corner seemed to be a revelation, of water buffalo shimmering from mud baths and children running down dirt roads.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 June 2026
Verb
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The delay also would push the removal into the middle of the night, diminishing the audience watching the event in person or on TV.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
12 June 2026
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Once the scene resurfaced online some ten years later, internet users leveraged the phrase as a way to distinguish those who were musically superior (who had the range) and those who were not, diminishing them regardless of their popularity.—
Dr. Marcus Collins,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Verb
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Their forward depth with (Nikolaj) Ehlers playing down the lineup has been a huge strength.—
Pierre LeBrun,
New York Times,
1 June 2026
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But after his early doom-laden predictions, Altman may now be an outlier among industry leaders in playing down the impact on work.—
Rebecca Schneid,
Time,
26 May 2026
Verb
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Faced with the reality of Rowland not coming back, Anderson had multiple options, including writing off the character altogether.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
11 June 2026
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No one was writing off Raman anymore.—
Deputy Managing Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Talking down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/talking%20down. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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