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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His defensiveness and insulting you and dismissing your feelings, in my opinion means he's emotionally attached to her, especially with the nickname.—
Meredith Wilshere,
PEOPLE,
4 Oct. 2025
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Subramanian rejected a request Tuesday by Combs’ attorneys for his conviction to be overturned entirely, dismissing claims that Combs had acted as an amateur pornographer who wasn’t engaging in prostitution and that the verdict violated his First Amendment rights.—
Joshua Rhett Miller,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Your creative spark is valid, so stop minimizing it.—
Dossé-Via Trenou,
Refinery29,
5 Oct. 2025
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This practice supports your lawn's health by promoting strong roots and minimizing thatch buildup.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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On that snap to Herbert, the play-clock was running down, Bonitto recalled.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
30 Sep. 2025
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Chairman David Moores came in with tears running down his cheeks.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
30 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 8 Oct. 2025.
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