condescend
verb (used without object)
to behave as if one is conscious of descending from a superior position, rank, or dignity.
is condescending
-
present progressiveof condescend (3rd person singular).present progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or state that is currently taking place in the immediate present.
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.
When the two first meet in a dressing room during the pilot, Jaymes is gracious while Barnes is condescending.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
To providers themselves, however, this is condescending, victim-blaming nonsense.
From Salon ● May 18, 2026
There is a contemporary understanding of Black male identity that is condescending even as it intends to be caring: It posits that to be Black and a man is to be, exclusively, in constant danger.
From New York Times ● Jul. 7, 2021
“That record is condescending because I wasn’t honest in my writing.”
From The Guardian ● Oct. 9, 2020
Your Grace knows there are many instances in life in which the most effectual way of conferring a favor is condescending to accept one.
From Memoirs of the Life of Sir Walter Scott, Volume V (of 10) by J. G. (John Gibson) Lockhart
