talk down

verb

talked down; talking down; talks down

intransitive verb

: to speak in a condescending or oversimplified fashion

transitive verb

: to disparage or belittle by talking

Synonyms

• bad-mouth
• belittle
• cry down
• decry
• denigrate
• deprecate
• depreciate
• derogate
• diminish
• dis [slang]
• diss
• discount
• dismiss
• disparage
• kiss off
• minimize
• play down
• poor-mouth
• put down
• run down
• trash
• trash-talk
• vilipend
• write off

Examples of talk down in a Sentence

a company that prefers to talk up its own products rather than talk down those of its competitors

Recent Examples on the Web

He was talked down and arrested about 4:15 a.m., Rulon said. —Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2024

Take advantage of the extra eloquence to talk down any obstacles that may be hindering your path. —Jennifer Culp, Them, 6 Sep. 2024

Some of her parts came out in full flashback mode, feeling absolutely terrified, and had to be talked down. —Rebecca J. Lester, Scientific American, 1 June 2023

Schurmann, in tandem with his talented crafts team, showcases plenty of visual dexterity — a delightful discovery since family-friendly films of this ilk so often talk down to their audience. —Courtney Howard, Variety, 16 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1642, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

talk down

verb

: to speak in an overly simple manner as if to a person who does not know much