talk down to

Idioms  

1. Also, speak down to. Address someone with insulting condescension, patronize, as in Just because she's editor-in-chief doesn't give her the right to talk down to her staff, or Children hate teachers who speak down to them.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

talk down to

“We talk down to people. We talk past people. They think we just think we’re smarter than other people, that we’re so judgmental and full of ourselves.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026

And while there is goofy comedy involving the often clueless sheep, Mazin didn’t want to talk down to the kids watching.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026

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

But true friends don’t talk down to you and tell you that you’re lazy after you spent years living off of canned beans trying to make payroll—they rejoice in your success.

From Slate ● Dec. 15, 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

Related Words

• deign
• snub