condescend

[kon-duh-send]

verb (used without object)

1. to behave as if one is conscious of descending from a superior position, rank, or dignity.

2. to stoop or deign to do something.

   He would not condescend to misrepresent the facts.

3. to put aside one's dignity or superiority voluntarily and assume equality with one regarded as inferior.

   He condescended to their intellectual level in order to be understood.

4. Obsolete.

   1. to yield.

   2. to assent.

condescend

/ ˌkɒndɪˈsɛnd /

verb

1. to act graciously towards another or others regarded as being on a lower level; behave patronizingly

2. to do something that one regards as below one's dignity

Other Word Forms

• condescender noun
• condescendent noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of condescend¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English condescenden, from Late Latin condēscendere ( con-, descend ); replacing Middle English condescendre, from Middle French

Word History and Origins

Origin of condescend¹

C14: from Church Latin condēscendere to stoop, condescend, from Latin dēscendere to _descend

Example Sentences

It shows us that he could be down-to-earth without ever condescending to his readers.

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However, his wife, the Baroness Hoover, was monstrous, rude, and condescending, and like the Earl of Maytag, she scarcely considered the Incorrigibles to be human.

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"So condescending. Creating a dumbed down sports channel for women is unbelievably sexist. Incredible that it was approved and that it's still live," they said.

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He was popular, but for a long time the critics condescended to him, calling him a lightweight Sunday painter and deriding him for his “matchstick” figures.

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But in a letter of resignation, she said another reason for leaving was the "condescending and controlling language used towards survivors".

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When To Use

What does condescend mean?

Condescend commonly means to interact with others in a way that implies that you’re superior to them. It especially refers to when this is done in an arrogant or patronizing way—meaning when you act as if you’re doing someone a favor by supposedly lowering yourself to their level of understanding or intelligence.This sense of the word is often used with the word to and the recipient of such behavior, as in Don’t condescend to me. This sense of condescend is always used negatively and implies that such behavior is insulting to the person or people it’s directed toward. The adjective condescending is used to describe people who act in such a way, or their words or actions, as in condescending tone. Condescending often involves not only what is said but also how it’s said. A condescending tone is often one that sounds like it’s directed at a child.Condescend can also mean to stoop to a lower level or to do something that one considers as below one's dignity. A close synonym of this sense of the word is deign.The act of condescending is called condescension.Example: Why do you feel the need to condescend every time you explain something?