condescending
UK/ˈkɔn.dɪ.sɛnd.ɪŋ//ˌkɑndəˈsɛndɪŋ/
condescending adjective: assuming a tone of superiority, or a patronizing attitude. Also the present participle and gerund of condescend.
Adjective
condescending (comparative more condescending, superlative most condescending)
- Assuming a tone of superiority, or a patronizing attitude.
- Quit talking to me in that condescending tone! You always treat me like a child!
- 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.1946, William Hatfield, Buffalo Jim, Oxford: Geoffrey Cumberlege, page 70
- Synonyms:
- patronizing
Noun
condescending (plural condescendings)
- An act of condescension.
- Is it the condescendings of a great one that we see in Christ? "I am among you as one that serveth," says He.1886, J. G. Bellett, The Evangelists: papers on the four gospels, volume 1, page 39
Also used as
condescending is also the present participle and gerund of condescend.
condescending meaning in Arabic, Thai and Vietnamese
condescending in Arabic
- assuming a tone of superiority or a patronizing attitude
- مُتَعَال mutaʕāl, اِسْتِعْلَائِيّ istiʕlāʔiyy
condescending in Thai
- assuming a tone of superiority or a patronizing attitude
- จองหองพองขน jong-hŏng pong kŏn
condescending in Vietnamese
- assuming a tone of superiority or a patronizing attitude
- trịch thượng
Examples of condescending in a sentence
- I'm sorry if I came off as condescending; that wasn't my intention.
- I’m funny and warm and devoted, but I can be obnoxious and condescending.
- He was condescending to me, presuming a goodness-gracious-me prejudice on my part.
Synonyms of condescending
Forms of condescending
| Adjective | |
|---|---|
| comparative | more condescending |
| superlative | most condescending |
| Noun | |
| plural | condescendings |
Words formed from condescending
Phrases with condescending
Words that rhyme with condescending
- descending
- ascending
- attending
- ending
- pending
- happy ending
- spending
- unbending
- unpretending
- antispending
- blending
- defending
15 more rhymesFewer rhymes
Questions about condescending
- What does condescending mean?
- Condescending means assuming a tone of superiority, or a patronizing attitude.
- What is condescending in Arabic?
- Condescending in Arabic is مُتَعَال (mutaʕāl), اِسْتِعْلَائِيّ (istiʕlāʔiyy). See Condescending meaning in Arabic.
- What part of speech is condescending?
- Condescending can be an adjective or a noun.
- How do you pronounce condescending?
- Condescending is pronounced /ˈkɔn.dɪ.sɛnd.ɪŋ/ (UK).
Words near condescending in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: condescending (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-condescending.ogg.
Cite this entry: “condescending.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/condescending. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.