patronizing
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What does patronizing mean?
Patronizing is an adjective that means displaying condescension toward a person in a way that arrogantly implies that itâs actually kind or helpful to that person.
Patronizing can be used to describe a person or their words, tone, attitude, or actions.
Patronizing is also the continuous (-ing) form of the verb patronize, which means to act toward someone in this way. (A separate sense of patronize means to be a customerâor patronâof a business or other establishment.)
Being patronizing often takes the form of speaking to someone as if they were a child.
Example: Donât be so patronizing, JeffâI understand the topic just as well as you do.
Where does patronizing come from?
The base word of patronizing, patron, comes from the Latin patrĆnus, meaning âlegal protectorâ or âadvocateâ (patrĆnus comes from the Latin pater, meaning âfatherâ).
To patronize someone in a condescending way is to treat them as if theyâre in need of extra help because theyâre not capable by themselves. This is often done with a patronizing tone. Condescending and patronizing are often used as synonyms, but they can have slightly different shades of meaning. A person whoâs described as condescending is often intentionally trying to display their supposed superiority through their tone. A person whoâs patronizing acts as if they need to share their special knowledge to help out people who arenât as smart as they areâas if theyâre doing them a favor. A person whoâs described as patronizing may also be telling a person what they think the person wants to hear.
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What are some other forms related to patronizing?
- patronizingly (adverb)
- patronize (verb)
What are some synonyms for patronizing?
What are some words that share a root or word element with patronizing?Â
What are some words that often get used in discussing patronizing?
How is patronizing used in real life?
When used as an adjective, patronizing is always negative.
Men talking to me like Iâm their little sister. Itâs never OK for anyone to try to talk to me in a patronizing tone. My own father has never spoken to me like that, so I will not give any man (I donât care who) the permission to speak to me in that tone esp as I do my job.
— Arlyssa Becentiđđ (@ABecenti) February 12, 2020
Yessss this is a huge pet peeve. (Also hate the use of this word by doctors during medical visits – so patronizing.) https://t.co/W8KzIWlIpT
— Katherine Lewis (@KatherineLewis) July 14, 2020
Girlboss always sounded so patronizing to me. Like âaww look at those adorable girlbosses using their ladybrains.â
— Ria Otero (@RiaOtero) July 12, 2020
Try using patronizing!
Is patronizing used correctly in the following sentence?Â
His tone is always so patronizingâas if Iâm not his peer.