SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
condescending
adjective
Showing a sense of superiority while appearing to be helpful or polite.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Treating others as inferior
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topPatronizing is the closest everyday alternative; condescension can be disguised as helpfulness.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See condescending in use
The condescending explanation treated experienced volunteers as if they understood nothing.
During the discussion, Victor gave a condescending smile and told the new volunteer that someday she would understand how serious clubs operate.
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