pandering

[pan-der-ing]

noun

1. the act of catering to or profiting from the weaknesses, vices, or unreasonable desires of others.

   Pandering and fear-mongering are the main ingredients of his appeal to anxious voters.

2. the act or practice of furnishing clients for a prostitute or supplying persons for illicit sex acts.

   Human trafficking violates many other laws as well, including those against kidnapping, slavery, false imprisonment, and pandering.

adjective

1. catering to or profiting from the weaknesses, vices, or unreasonable desires of others.

   He’s the epitome of the pandering politician, ready to say yes to everyone.

Other Word Forms

• panderingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of pandering¹

First recorded in 1600–10; pander + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun senses; pander + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective sense

Example Sentences

The opposition Conservative Party has accused the Labour government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer of pandering to the Chinese state by dropping the case to expand trade ties, an accusation the government denied.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

They accused him of pandering to the far right.

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In his latest comedy special, Maron pokes fun at how certain podcast hosts are, in his eyes, pandering to the far right.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It was an overreaction that smacked of fear and pandering.

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Such clubby deference to the establishment combined with boilerplate pandering to progressive constituencies — learned from years of San Francisco and California politics — makes her the perfect solution to a problem that doesn’t exist.

Read more on Los Angeles Times