Showing results for "condescending"

• present participle of condescend.

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Which fictional character is portrayed as condescending?

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condescending

American  

[kon-duh-sen-ding] / ˌkɒn dəˈsɛn dɪŋ /

adjective

1. showing or implying a usually patronizing descent from dignity or superiority.

   They resented the older neighbors' condescending cordiality.

   Synonyms:

   supercilious, disdainful, patronizing

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condescending British  

/ ˌkɒndɪˈsɛndɪŋ /

adjective

1. showing or implying condescension by stooping to the level of one's inferiors, esp in a patronizing way

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Usage

What does condescending mean? To be condescending is to interact with others in a way that implies that you’re superior to them. It especially refers to when this is done in an arrogant or patronizing way—meaning when you act as if you’re doing someone a favor by supposedly lowering yourself to their level of understanding or intelligence. Condescending is always used negatively and implies that such behavior is insulting to the person or people it’s directed toward. The word can be used to describe a person, their actions, or their words. It’s especially applied to words like comment, tone, and attitude. Being condescending often involves not only what is said, but also how it’s said. A condescending tone is often one that sounds like it’s directed at a child. Condescending is most commonly used as an adjective, but it’s also the continuous tense (-ing form) of the verb condescend, which most commonly means to act in this way. The act of doing so is called condescension. Example: You don’t have to be so condescending by explaining it to me with small words—I understand the topic just fine.

Other Word Forms

• noncondescendingness
  noun
• noncondescending
  adjective
• uncondescending
  adjective
• condescendingly
  adverb
• noncondescendingly
  adverb
• uncondescendingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of condescending

First recorded in 1630–40; condescend + -ing ²

Compare meaning

How does condescending compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• patronizing vs. condescending

Explanation

If you are being condescending, you are looking down on someone. A 10-year-old who says to his sibling, "What do you know? You're only a 6-year-old!" is being condescending. The Latin prefix con- means "with," and the Latin word for descend means "down," so the word condescending probably developed to describe someone who looked down on others. Condescending behavior is, not surprisingly, itself looked down upon. It's usually intended to make people feel bad about not knowing or having something, and it very often works.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

condescending

The Danish executives “have this condescending view of American healthcare,” a former Novo staffer said.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

The video itself has been roundly seen as damaging to Miller, who comes across as bullying and condescending, and whose rage at the situation seems to be boiling just below the surface.

From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026

Senior US official Dan Negrea said the US delegation would continue to make similar stands until France "renounces their condescending and disrespectful rhetoric".

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

“It’s pretentious indulgence and I’m making a condescending judgment that half the audience doesn’t have a clue about it.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026

Steve would speak to the warders in a condescending and grandiloquent style that they probably did not understand.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Related Words

• arrogant
• highfalutin
• patronizing
• snooty