SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
patronizing
adjective
Treating someone with an air of superiority that appears helpful or kind.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
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Condescendingly helpful
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topPatronizing often wraps superiority in apparent kindness or instruction; disdain can be openly contemptuous.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See patronizing in use
The patronizing explanation annoyed a reader who already knew the subject.
Later, a committee member wrote a sycophantic introduction that lavishly praised the donor's taste in hopes of gaining personal favor. During rehearsal, he became patronizing toward a capable designer, explaining simple tasks as though she could not understand her own work.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license