patronize
Americanverb (used with object)
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to give (a store, restaurant, hotel, etc.) one's regular patronage; trade with.
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to behave in an offensively condescending manner toward.
a professor who patronizes his students.
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to act as a patron toward (an artist, institution, etc.); support.
verb
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to behave or treat in a condescending way
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(tr) to act as a patron or patroness by sponsoring or bringing trade to
Usage
What does patronize mean? To patronize is to be a customer (or patron) of a business or other establishment. In this sense, patronize most often means to be a paying customer, especially a regular one. However, you can patronize establishments that are not businesses—you can patronize a library, for example. Example: I patronize local shops and restaurants whenever I can in order to support people in my own community, instead of enriching faceless corporations. Patronize also means to act condescendingly toward a person in a way that arrogantly implies that you’re being kind or helpful to that person. This often takes the form of speaking to someone as if they were a child. Someone who acts in this way can be described as patronizing. Example: Don’t patronize me, Jeff—I understand the topic just as well as you do.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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patronizationnoun
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patronizernoun
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repatronizeverb (used with object)
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transpatronizeverb (used with object)
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patronizableadjective
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unpatronizableadjective
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well-patronizedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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patronizesimple
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patronizessimple
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have patronizedperfect
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has patronizedperfect
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am patronizingprogressive
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are patronizingprogressive
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is patronizingprogressive
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have been patronizingperfect progressive
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has been patronizingperfect progressive
Past
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patronizedsimple
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had patronizedperfect
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was patronizingprogressive
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were patronizingprogressive
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had been patronizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of patronize
Explanation
If you patronize a business, you shop there regularly. But if someone patronizes you, it's not so pleasant — they talk to you as if you were inferior or not very intelligent. Patronize comes from Latin patronus "protector, master," related to pater "father." So if you patronize a person, you talk down to them like a father might do to his child or a master to his apprentice. If you want to take an advanced class and your advisor warns you of all the hard work, you can tell him to stop patronizing you — you know a hard class involves hard work. This sounds much better than saying, "I'm not stupid!"
Vocabulary lists containing patronize
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Who would patronize these houses of financial ill-repute?
From Barron's ● Apr. 7, 2026
She said she still plans to patronize Cracker Barrel, including during the holidays.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 9, 2025
As journalist Madeline Peltz has documented, after that, he “staged more and more debates on college campuses,” focused on generating “bite-sized clips” that showcased how Kirk “would patronize and shame” students, largely young women.
From Salon ● Nov. 21, 2025
Azuka said it has resonated with audiences who she was keen not to "patronize".
From BBC ● Mar. 17, 2025
They patronize, they flatter, maybe they wish to comfort themselves.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
The opportunity is now for the public to show that it prefers non-idiocy in the media outlets it patronizes and is willing to pay for.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
She said the retailers she patronizes include Express, Shein, and Walmart.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 22, 2023
Sales of the five-piece Smart Set capsule collection of women’s work wear benefits Smart Works, a charity she patronizes that helps unemployed women find jobs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2019
“Brimstone & Glory’s” greatest grace comes from its subjects, whom Jakovleski neither patronizes nor fetishizes.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 9, 2017
Thick rugs cover every floor, and paintings from several local artists she patronizes line our walls.
From "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart
Torres told me in front of Carniceria El Novillo, which he has patronized his entire life.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
They know when they’re being patronized, even if they don’t always say it.
From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2025
She said the East was largely misunderstood by West Germans — belittled, patronized and often ignored.
From New York Times ● Apr. 26, 2024
That number surpassed the 378,518 who patronized Cheney Stadium in 2011, the first season of the ballpark’s remodeled configuration.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 25, 2023
I went into a drugstore that I had patronized every day since my arrival.
From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin
I think there’s nothing cooler than when you meet an artist who had a storied career and they seem completely down to earth and easy to talk to, and not condescending or patronizing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026
You can empathize with your friend without demonizing your own position or patronizing her by saying everything will be OK.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 2, 2026
Also, a 2021 study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research documented hostile environments in economics seminars, with female presenters experiencing more interruptions and encountering more patronizing behavior.
From Salon ● Feb. 28, 2026
Xavier is much older than she is and seems, frankly, somewhat stupid and patronizing, but the narrator is nevertheless tormented by her feelings for him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2025
In what could not be characterized as other than a patronizing manner, Herbie patted the horse.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
