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

Without billions in funding and a stadium site, the rest is flowery prose, but there is no sense in dismissing any potential bidder a year or two before the bidding opens.

— Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
While speaking with Entertainment Weekly in September 2026, Mirren praised working with Brosnan and Hardy, dismissing rumors of tension on set with the latter.

— Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of dismissing

Verb

The campaign also places particular emphasis on technologies capable of defeating drones while minimizing collateral damage.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 19 Sep. 2026
In context of supination, this means minimizing the possibility of injuries; doling out a smoother, plusher ride; and kicking underpronation’s common side effects (think plantar fasciitis, ankle pain, and shin splints) to the curb.

— Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of minimizing

Verb

Edgar-Jones’s blouse featured gold buttons running down the front placket, creating a tailored effect that even evoked the type of white shifts men wore during England’s Regency era.

— Julia Teti, Footwear News, 24 Sep. 2026
Heat point guard Davion Mitchell has seemingly been anywhere and everywhere this summer, always in perpetual motion, burning calories, running down basketball courts and city streets.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of running down

Verb

Meanwhile, the housing market is getting crushed by high mortgage rates and diminishing affordability, while consumers are carrying ever more expensive credit card and auto debt.

— John W. Diamond, The Conversation, 16 Sep. 2026
The risk of eroding trust and diminishing stakeholder confidence by staying silent is too high.

— Kristi Piehl, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of diminishing

Verb

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
In response to the concerns, companies including Amazon and Microsoft have been playing down the issue, saying the data center water use can be done responsibly, or sourced from wastewater.

— Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 19 Aug. 2026