condescending 1 of 2

condescending

2 of 2

verb

present participle of condescend
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
Adjective
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 That problem is compounded by a sizable chunk of the French electorate’s view of him as highhanded, condescending and arrogant — a former investment banker, the product of elite schools, unversed in the problems of ordinary people. Lee Hockstader, Washington Post, 1 July 2024 See All Example Sentences for condescending
Recent Examples of Synonyms for condescending
Adjective
  • The same is true of the inconsistent — and patronizing — use of translation.
    Samuel Ashworth, Washington Post, 24 July 2024
  • And in its attempt to leverage something that wasn’t entirely its to claim, at times the CNRP betrayed a view of the masses that was not only instrumentalist and patronizing but also almost feudal in its assumptions about the relationship between people and power.
    Stéphanie Giry, Foreign Affairs, 2 Sep. 2015
Adjective
  • According to Packer, several surefire ways to ensure success start here: Be arrogant!
    Dominique Fluker, Essence, 17 Feb. 2025
  • In 1254, King Edward I and Queen Eleanor of Castile were married at a very young age, and although Edward had a reputation for being arrogant and quarrelsome, the pair eventually fell deeply in love.
    Gulnaz Khan, AFAR Media, 13 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Here's Your Zodiac Love Compatibility, Based on Your Sign Sagittarius: Rachel Chu from Crazy Rich Asians To maintain her relationship, Rachel takes on a fight with her boyfriend’s domineering mother Eleanor.
    Lisa Stardust, People.com, 13 Feb. 2025
  • He’s had something of a habit of playing domineering fathers, doing so on Ugly Betty (2006–2007) and as Charles Widmore on Lost (2006–2010).
    Sezin Devi Koehler, EW.com, 8 Feb. 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
  • Any ideas on how to approach a bossy elder sibling?
    R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 24 Feb. 2025
  • Tensions run high toward the middle of the month, as the moon will peak in Leo and your bossy 10th house of authority and reputation.
    Valerie Mesa, People.com, 7 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
  • 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
  • In short, Moscow sees Montenegro as both strategically valuable and an impudent upstart that has thumbed its nose at the Russian bear while genuflecting before NATO and Washington.
    Edward P. Joseph, Foreign Affairs, 22 Dec. 2016
Adjective
  • One of the most dominant forces in the chip industry is Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), which manufactures the chips that power phones and laptops and are central to the output of key American AI players like NVIDIA.
    Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 27 Feb. 2025
  • This spring, Avila touched 98 mph in a game and Sisk was dominant with Triple-A Omaha.
    Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 27 Feb. 2025

Browse Nearby Entries

Cite this Entry

“Condescending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/condescending. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on condescending

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!