talk down to
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
What I am saying is that, if you have never found yourself in a situation where your life does a complete 180, it’s wrong to talk down to anyone.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 23, 2025
The world is full of voices telling adolescents they don’t matter and don’t understand anything, so a good YA book shouldn’t talk down to teens or portray them as helpless.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2025
“They talk down to them. They assume that because they’re young, they’re dumb.”
From Seattle Times • Mar. 3, 2023
In these moments, many of us—including the bulk of my health care worker patients and me—are quick to talk down to ourselves and self-blame.
From Slate • Feb. 13, 2023
Most teachers talk down to us, as if we’re a bunch of immature dummies who don’t know anything about anything.
From "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika L. Sánchez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
