as in patronizing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in stooping
to descend to a level that is beneath one's dignity
I will not condescend to answer the sore loser's charge that I cheated in order to win the race
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cutting
to assume or treat with an air of superiority
wealthy people who tend to be condescending toward their poor relations
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 condescending
Carole Horst, Variety, 17 Dec. 2024
That loathsome, condescending, low-brow slur would apparently include the 74 million people who voted for Trump in 2020, a record only Biden himself has bettered on his way to being maybe the worst president ever.
—Jay Ambrose, Boston Herald, 23 Jan. 2024
Both projects share a similar eye for the grotesquerie of the banal, with a generally condescending perspective toward rural desperation.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Dec. 2024
Yes, Emily goes on to flip her condescending date the bird before bombarding a top Parisian designer in his box—two decidedly un-Audrey gestures.
—Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 11 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for condescending
Adjective
Indeed, at a welcoming dinner in Harrison’s mansion, Erzsébet swiftly puts the condescending and clueless guests away with her words, delivered with strength, dignity and sneaky bemusement.
—Carole Horst, Variety, 17 Dec. 2024
That loathsome, condescending, low-brow slur would apparently include the 74 million people who voted for Trump in 2020, a record only Biden himself has bettered on his way to being maybe the worst president ever.
—Jay Ambrose, Boston Herald, 23 Jan. 2024
Both projects share a similar eye for the grotesquerie of the banal, with a generally condescending perspective toward rural desperation.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Dec. 2024
Yes, Emily goes on to flip her condescending date the bird before bombarding a top Parisian designer in his box—two decidedly un-Audrey gestures.
—Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 11 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for condescending
Recent Examples of Synonyms for condescending
Adjective
-
Kate seems a bit more reluctant to play along this time, in part because Laurie’s comments about Jaclyn are more overtly critical than the patronizing tone of the earlier scene.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
23 Feb. 2025
-
The same is true of the inconsistent — and patronizing — use of translation.—
Samuel Ashworth,
Washington Post,
24 July 2024
Adjective
-
So this kind of parallel can easily be drawn between Iran and other countries, [including those with] an arrogant isolation program, definitely.—
Georg Szalai,
The Hollywood Reporter,
13 Mar. 2025
-
One of the targets of his reign of terror is arrogant Judge Stefan Mortensen, played by Oscar-winning actor Geoffrey Rush admitted to the facility after being left partially paralyzed after a stroke.—
Simon Thompson,
Forbes,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Since then, he’s portrayed a colorful collection of characters, from a domineering theater owner in Shakespeare in Love to Pirates of the Caribbean’s villain turned hero, Captain Hector Barbossa.—
airmail.news,
airmail.news,
8 Mar. 2025
-
All the while, his domineering mother Bunny (played by the late Frances Sternhagen) is determined to stay the number one woman in her son's life.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
EW.com,
8 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
President-Elect Donald Trump is openly disdainful of many governments in Europe and seems willing to walk away from America’s role as the continent’s protector.—
Phillips Payson O’Brien,
The Atlantic,
13 Jan. 2025
-
Now, the norms for AI will emerge in a political and cultural environment that's hostile to regulation and disdainful of limits.—
Scott Rosenberg,
Axios,
8 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Asking Eric: Our bossy sister said there won’t be a party.—
R. Eric Thomas,
The Mercury News,
28 Feb. 2025
-
This quirky Turkish dramedy series tells the tale of a down-and-out sports betting writer for a newspaper who is roped into teaming up with the ghost of a bossy business tycoon demanding to crack his own murder case.—
Dana Feldman,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Not that Allen wasn’t above poking fun at a friend: In many of their films together, Allen presented Roberts as so cool-headed as to verge on the comically supercilious.—
Peter Tonguette,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
21 Feb. 2025
-
Still, in many voters’ minds, the association between Democrats and supercilious scolding seems hard to shake.—
Andrew Marantz,
The New Yorker,
14 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
One chord appears to speak to the other, sounding almost impudent in their simplicity, equal parts ecstatic and heartbreakingly melancholic.—
Sam Davies,
Rolling Stone,
10 Mar. 2025
-
More specifically, the impudent Skull Kid steals the Ocarina of Time and turns Link into a Deku Scrub, those antagonistic tree cannons first introduced in Ocarina.—
Ashley Bardhan,
Vulture,
27 Sep. 2024
Adjective
-
Apple’s dominant position on laptop longevity appears to have ended, at least with this Air, even though this is still a very good result.—
PCMAG,
PCMAG,
11 Mar. 2025
-
American F-16s had been dominant in Europe but have been phased out in many countries in favor of the U.S. defense giant's F-35 stealth fighter.—
Faisal Kutty,
Newsweek,
11 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Condescending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/condescending. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share