condescend
verb (used without object)
to behave as if one is conscious of descending from a superior position, rank, or dignity.
was condescending
-
past progressiveof condescend.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When we told them they were talking to an expert, it didn’t matter if it was condescending, it still worked just as well.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 24, 2026
The personnel clerk at the paper was condescending.
From Salon ● Nov. 26, 2023
“He belittled the staff and was condescending to faculty and graduate students,” wrote Joseph Langdon, who had been a BMI assistant director at the time, in a statement published this spring on Medium.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2021
It was condescending, it was mean, it was laugh-out-loud funny and it was also kind of true.
From Golf Digest ● Jan. 11, 2019
Sensing that she was condescending to them, I became nervous.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
