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condescend

/ˌˈkɑndəˌˈsɛnd/

/kɒndəˈsɛnd/

Other forms: condescended; condescending; condescends

A snooty waiter might condescend to serve you dinner at a fancy restaurant, meaning that he'd consider himself far too important to carry out the mundane task of delivering your hamburger and fries.

You might have noticed that condescend contains the word descend, meaning to move down from a higher place. You can think of condescend as lowering yourself to do a task that you feel is far beneath you. Kings and queens would never condescend to do their own laundry at the palace, for example. If they even knew how to do the laundry, you can be sure they'd do it in a condescending, or superior, way to let everyone know that housework is no task for a monarch.

Definitions of condescend
  1. verb
    behave in a patronizing and condescending manner
    see moresee less
    type of:
    act, move
    perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
  2. verb
    treat condescendingly
    synonyms: patronise, patronize
    see moresee less
    types:
    stoop to
    make concessions to
    type of:
    interact
    act together or towards others or with others
  3. verb
    do something that one considers to be below one's dignity
    synonyms: deign, descend
    see moresee less
    type of:
    act, move
    perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
  4. verb
    debase oneself morally, act in an undignified, unworthy, or dishonorable way
    synonyms: lower oneself, stoop
    see moresee less
    type of:
    act, move
    perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘condescend'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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