condescending

[ kon-duh-sen-ding ]
See synonyms for condescending on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. showing or implying a usually patronizing descent from dignity or superiority: They resented the older neighbors' condescending cordiality.

Origin of condescending

1
First recorded in 1630–40; condescend + -ing2

Other words for condescending

Other words from condescending

  • con·de·scend·ing·ly, adverb
  • non·con·de·scend·ing, adjective
  • non·con·de·scend·ing·ly, adverb
  • non·con·de·scend·ing·ness, noun
  • un·con·de·scend·ing, adjective
  • un·con·de·scend·ing·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use condescending in a sentence

  • Under Mr. Bryant the Evening Post was an old-fashioned newspaper of uncondescending, uncompromising dignity.

    Recollections of a Varied Life | George Cary Eggleston

British Dictionary definitions for condescending

condescending

/ (ˌkɒndɪˈsɛndɪŋ) /


adjective
  1. showing or implying condescension by stooping to the level of one's inferiors, esp in a patronizing way

Derived forms of condescending

  • condescendingly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012