condescending

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkɔn.dɪ.sɛnd.ɪŋ/, /ˈkɔnˌdi.sɛnd.ɪŋ/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌkɑndəˈsɛndɪŋ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛndɪŋ

Adjective

condescending (comparative more condescending, superlative most condescending)

1. Assuming a tone of superiority, or a patronizing attitude.

   Quit talking to me in that condescending tone! You always treat me like a child!

   • 1946, William Hatfield, Buffalo Jim, Oxford: Geoffrey Cumberlege, page 70:

     The housekeeper, a very decorative brunette of thirty-five with a pseudo-English accent, greeted him with a mixture of grateful effusion and condescending patronage.

   • 2022 January 12, Nigel Harris, “Comment: Unhappy start to 2022”, in RAIL, number 948, page 3:

     As for the IRP, Secretary of State Grant Shapps continues to peddle snake oil, smoke and mirrors. His reaction to near-universal IRP condemnation from politicians, local and national media, and all but a few rail specialists was to dismiss the lot of us (in the condescending and patronising tone we have now come to expect) as "critics and naysayers".

Synonyms

• (assuming a tone of superiority): patronizing

Derived terms

• condescendingly
• condescendingness
• uncondescending

Related terms

• condescendence
• condescension

Translations

assuming a tone of superiority or a patronizing attitude

Arabic: مُتَعَال m (mutaʕāl) Catalan: paternalista Chinese: Mandarin: 傲慢的 Czech: blahosklonný m Danish: nedladende Dutch: neerbuigend (nl), aanmatigend (nl), betuttelend (nl) Finnish: ylimielinen (fi) (tone of superiority), alentava (fi), alentuva (fi) (patronizing attitude) French: condescendant (fr) German: herablassend (de) Greek: συγκαταβατικός (el) m (sygkatavatikós) Hebrew: מתנשא m (mitnasé) Hungarian: leereszkedő (hu), fölényeskedő (hu), fölényes (hu), vállveregető (hu) Japanese: 上目線 (うえめせん, uemesen), 上から目線 (ja) (うえからめせん, uekaramesen) Latvian: iecietīgs m Macedonian: сни́сходлив m (sníshodliv), на́дмен m (nádmen) Norwegian: Bokmål: nedlatende (no) Nynorsk: nedlatande Polish: protekcjonalny Portuguese: condescendente (pt), paternalista (pt) Russian: снисходи́тельный (ru) (snisxodítelʹnyj) Scottish Gaelic: mì-uasal Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: снисхо̀дљив Roman: snishòdljiv (sh) Spanish: condescendiente (es) (false friend), paternalista (es) Swedish: nedlåtande (sv), von oben (sv) Thai: จองหองพองขน (th) (jong-hŏng pong kŏn) Turkish: aşağılayıcı (tr) Vietnamese: trịch thượng (vi)

Verb

condescending

1. present participle and gerund of condescend