condescending
adjective
con·de·scend·ing
| \ ˌkän-di-ˈsen-diŋ
\
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Definition of condescending
: showing or characterized by a patronizing or superior attitude toward others
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Other Words from condescending
condescendingly
\ ˌkän-di-ˈsen-diŋ-lē
\
adverb
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adverb
Examples of condescending in a Sentence
The next big sequel to roll off the assembly line (awful, condescending phrase, but this is a case of what you have to do when the shoe fits) is going to be a sequel to "Rebecca," Daphne du Maurier's classic 1930's suspense novel.
— Stephen King, New York Times Book Review, 6 June 1993
… when the picturesque was seen close up, the "happy poverty" of the peasant was not always happy. There was something unpleasantly condescending, an element of esthetic slumming in the tourist's or the artist's view of picturesqueness.
— Anatole Broyard, New York Times Book Review, 1 Oct. 1989
I always imagined publishers were rather snarky and condescending and made a point of crabbing one's work, but he didn't a bit.
— Elizabeth Bowen, letter, 19 Jan. 1923
His comments were offensive and condescending to us.
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Recent Examples on the Web
For someone who claims to champion the idea of individual dignity, Hawley has an awfully condescending view of human agency. — Matthew De Silva, Quartz, "Why Senator Josh Hawley wants to kill your Snapstreak," 30 July 2019 Ian Merrill Peakes is hilariously grotesque as Bingley’s clumsily condescending sister and as the Bennets’ flailingly animated cousin Mr. Collins, and he’s nicely understated as roguish charmer Wickham. — Sam Hurwitt, The Mercury News, "Review: Shakespeare’s twins, Jane Austen romance delight in Santa Cruz," 31 July 2019 The book brings into focus intellectual and emotional realities of the decade during and after World War II that current historical memory largely occludes behind heroicizing or condescending stereotypes. — Edward Mendelson, The New York Review of Books, "Reading in an Age of Catastrophe," 7 Mar. 2019 By mocking and dismissing her colleagues in such a condescending way, Pelosi is signaling to not just her centrist House co-conspirators, but to the GOP that these women are not to be respected, trusted, nor taken seriously. — Kirsten West Savali, Essence, "Opinion: Ocasio-Cortez Makes It Plain: Pelosi Is Being 'Outright Disrespectful' To 'Newly Elected Women Of Color'," 12 July 2019 While many in Georgia have offered support, Kremlin-friendly media in Russia reacted to her statements with incredulous and condescending remarks. — Vladimir Kozlov, Billboard, "Kremlin Counters Boycott By Georgian Singer With Warning for Russian Artists," 5 July 2019 But the players refused to accept this condescending logic. — Tate Royer, The Denver Post, "Guest Commentary: The biggest fight facing the U.S. women’s soccer team isn’t on the field," 14 June 2019 This could feel like a condescending attempt to end up on the right side of history, but doesn’t—the characters are never reduced to props in a you-go-girl power ballad. — Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, "In Mark Haddon’s “The Porpoise,” Storytelling Is an Instrument of Violence and Solace," 13 June 2019 His upbringing is often referred to in condescending terms in media stories. — Helin Jung, Cosmopolitan, "12 Things to Know About Devin Nunes, Chair of the House Intelligence Committee," 2 Feb. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'condescending.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for condescending
condescending
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of condescending
disapproving
: showing that you believe you are more intelligent or better than other people
See the full definition for condescending in the English Language Learners Dictionary
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