pandering

American  

[pan-der-ing] / ˈpæn dər ɪŋ /

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.

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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

Etymology

Origin of pandering

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

Example Sentences

She'd grown weary of pandering to pop tropes of the "strong, independent female"; and wanted to present a "more honest and vulnerable" version of herself.

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026

When someone photographs a drink she made, it’s pride, not pandering.

From Salon • Nov. 30, 2025

First, good on Mazzulla to straight-up treat the kid as the reporter he clearly is, and answer the question directly, without pandering or turning it into some sort of saccharine after-school special.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

There’s another song called “Walk Away,” but we thought that might be pandering.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2025

Ricky considered Luke for another second before glancing back to Doreen, a pandering smile on his face.

From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss