talk down
verb
talked down; talking down; talks down
: to speak in a condescending or oversimplified fashion
: to disparage or belittle by talking
Synonyms
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
The lack of Blues Brothers co-creator Aykroyd meant no Jimmy Carter talking down a guy peaking on LSD.
—
Ted Johnson, Deadline, 16 Feb. 2025
Republicans have blasted Democrats over the years for talking down to people, with several arguing the average voter does not like to feel stupid.
—Rachel Schilke, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 1 Feb. 2025
No, that is not Wellens’ brutal honesty coming to the fore by talking down City with potentially inflammatory comments ahead of the big tie… that’s his wife Nicola, who will also be there on Saturday.
—Tim Spiers, The Athletic, 6 Feb. 2025
Unfortunately, Burleson was talking down to his audience, some who might dare to disagree with him.
—Bob Raissman, New York Daily News, 1 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for talk down 
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.
Ted Johnson, Deadline, 16 Feb. 2025
Republicans have blasted Democrats over the years for talking down to people, with several arguing the average voter does not like to feel stupid.
—Rachel Schilke, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 1 Feb. 2025
No, that is not Wellens’ brutal honesty coming to the fore by talking down City with potentially inflammatory comments ahead of the big tie… that’s his wife Nicola, who will also be there on Saturday.
—Tim Spiers, The Athletic, 6 Feb. 2025
Unfortunately, Burleson was talking down to his audience, some who might dare to disagree with him.
—Bob Raissman, New York Daily News, 1 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for talk down
Dictionary Entries Near talk down
Cite this Entry
“Talk down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/talk%20down. Accessed 23 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share