condescend

American  

[kon-duh-send] / ˌkɒn dəˈsɛnd /

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.

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condescend British  

/ 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

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Usage

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?

Other Word Forms

• condescendent noun
• condescender noun

Etymology

Origin of condescend

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

Example Sentences

Hollywood types often strike a snarky and condescending tone when they peer down the ladder at the low rungs of show business—an excellent example is the 2017 comedy “The Disaster Artist.”

From The Wall Street Journal

“He was always extremely warm and very present, there was nothing condescending in him. He never treated me like a kid. We clicked right away.”

From Los Angeles Times

While this may sound condescending today, at the time it was a broad-minded position.

From The Wall Street Journal

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

From The Wall Street Journal

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.

From Literature