talks down (to)

verb

present tense third-person singular of talk down (to)
as in lords (it over)
to assume or treat with an air of superiority just because I don't have extensive experience in the field is no reason to talk down to me as if I were a child

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for talks down (to)
  1. patronizes
  2. cuts
Verb
  • Liam, the brother who clearly wanted this reunion the most, and wore the inability to re-consummate the brotherly relationship like an open wound, is still given mostly to jokes on stage more than serious statements or anything that patronizes the audience.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 8 Sep. 2025
Definition of patronizes
Verb
  • Unlike a razor, which simply cuts hair at the surface, an epilator removes it from the root by mechanically plucking multiple hairs at once.
    — Iman Balagam, Vogue, 17 July 2026
  • The headline feature across the lineup is Air Fry Max which, according to Samsung, delivers crispy results without the need to preheat and cuts cooking times by up to 15% compared to the Air Fry modes found on previous-gen models.
    — Paul Lamkin, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of cuts
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.

Browse Nearby Words

talks down
talks down (to)
talks (into)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Talks down (to).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/talks%20down%20%28to%29. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of stalwart

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
thumbnail graphic with text word of the day quiz
Weekly "Word of the Day" Quiz See how well you know each Word of the Day for Ju...
See All