condescension

American  

[kon-duh-sen-shuhn] / ˌkɒn dəˈsɛn ʃən /

noun

1. an act or instance of condescending. condescending.

2. behavior that is patronizing or condescending. condescending.

3. voluntary assumption of equality with a person regarded as inferior.

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condescension British  

/ ˌkɒndɪˈsɛnʃən /

noun

1. the act or an instance of behaving in a patronizing way

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Usage

What does condescension mean? Condescension is a way of interacting with others 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. Condescension often involves not only what is said but also how it’s said. A tone of condescension is often one that sounds like it’s directed at a child. Condescension is a noun form of the verb condescend, which most commonly means to behave in this way. When used this way, condescend, condescension, and the adjective condescending are always negative and imply that such behavior is insulting to the person or people it’s directed toward. 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. Condescension can also mean the act of doing so. Example: His opinion piece is dripping with condescension—it’s written as if no one else is capable of understanding.

Other Word Forms

• condescensive adjective
• condescensively adverb
• noncondescension noun

Etymology

Origin of condescension

First recorded in 1635–45, condescension is from the Late Latin word condēscēnsiōn- (stem of condēscēnsiō ). See con-, descension

Example Sentences

Woolf was a snob, but she was hardly unique in her condescension.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025

The sit-down turned acrimonious, with the Chinese accusing the Americans of "condescension and hypocrisy".

From BBC • Aug. 12, 2025

Friedland’s acute debut feature, drawn from her experience in the memory-care field, is a small miracle of realigned empathy, turning away from the condescension and easy sentiment of so many narratives about late-in-life adaptation.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 27, 2025

Then we can talk about specific groups’ concerns — but here we’ve got to avoid any hint of the condescension that so often seeps into our message.

From Salon • Mar. 12, 2025

They spoke to him with the authority of people who had done this before, and also with a slight condescension; his fate was, after all, in their hands.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie