All words

condescend

Meaning

To behave in a manner that clearly shows one considers themselves superior to others, often by lowering oneself to engage with those deemed less important or worthy.

Examples by difficulty

Basic: Simple, everyday vocabulary — the easiest to read.

He spoke to the new employee as if the girl were a child, his words slow and patronizing. It was clear he thought he was doing her a favor, a grand gesture of kindness to condescend to her simple questions.

The seasoned chef, accustomed to Michelin stars, would condescend to taste my burnt toast, a tiny smirk playing on his lips as he examined my breakfast failure. He lowered himself, as if my simple bread was an exotic, rare specimen, to comment on its charred state.

The renowned astrophysicist, Dr. Aris Thorne, visited the elementary school. He spoke about distant stars, but with a weary sigh, he'd condescend to answer the most basic questions about gravity, as if the children were simpletons barely able to tie their own shoes.

The king, a man who wore socks with sandals, loved to *condescend* to his subjects. He'd pat a farmer's head and say, "Good job, little dirt-man, for growing this tasty carrot!" He thought he was being so nice, but everyone else just saw him acting like a giant, silly goose.

The Emperor, puffing out his tiny pigeon chest, decided to *condescend* to the ants. He leaned way down, nearly toppling off his mushroom throne, to explain, with much wiggling of his antennae, why their tunnels were a bit messy.

Normal: Standard, everyday language.

He spoke to the intern as if offering a great gift, his voice dripping with an exaggerated patience. It was clear he expected gratitude for simply deigning to explain the process, a way of acting that showed he considered himself far above anyone just starting out.

The seasoned truffle hunter watched the newcomer meticulously, his lip curling ever so slightly as he explained, "You see, you have to *listen* to the earth," as if his own expert nose had never learned by trial and error. He seemed to condescend, a subtle but clear air of superiority radiating from his careful, slow gestures.

The renowned mycologist, Dr. Anya Sharma, only agreed to visit the local gardening club after much persuasion. She arrived with a sigh, then began to condescend, explaining the intricate spore dispersal of puffballs as if lecturing toddlers, her tone laced with the weary superiority of someone far too important for their simple hobby.

Reginald, with a sigh that could curdle milk, decided to *condescend* to explain his superior sock-folding technique to the interns. He lowered himself from his ergonomic throne, a dramatic gesture usually reserved for royal decrees, to show them the proper way to achieve perfect creases.

Barnaby, after discovering a forgotten bag of artisanal cheese puffs, began to condescend to everyone at the dog park, offering them single, dusty morsels from his elevated perch atop the picnic table. He'd lower his hand, a regal gesture for these lesser beings, as if bestowing a papal indulgence on a particularly worthy beagle.

Advanced: Richer vocabulary that stretches an upper-level reader.

The seasoned politician would condescend to acknowledge the interns, a slight, patronizing smile on his face as he explained their simple tasks. It was clear he viewed their youthful ambition as a quaint distraction from his own grave concerns.

The esteemed astrophysicist, Dr. Aris Thorne, chose to condescend to the eager interns. He explained the intricacies of quantum entanglement not as a peer, but as someone patiently revealing profound secrets to those still fumbling with basic algebra, a slight, almost imperceptible tilt of his chin betraying his elevated perspective.

The seasoned cryptographer, whose fingers danced across the ancient Sumerian tablet, couldn't help but condescend to the eager intern. He'd explain the deciphering process with exaggerated slowness, as if the young man's mind were incapable of grasping even the most basic cuneiform principles, a patronizing tilt to his head emphasizing his perceived intellectual gulf.

The self-proclaimed genius, sporting a monocle and a condescending smirk, decided to condescend to the commoners by explaining the intricate workings of his toast-buttering machine. He illustrated its unparalleled efficiency, his voice dripping with the practiced pity one reserves for those who can't grasp the profound beauty of a perfectly buttered slice.

The renowned squirrel whisperer, Bartholomew Buttercup, would often condescend to the lesser woodland creatures. He'd lower himself onto a mossy stump, adjusting his monocle, before elaborately explaining to a bewildered badger why optimal acorn storage required a precise Fibonacci sequence.

Challenging: Rare, high-register vocabulary for serious word lovers.

He would condescend to explain basic concepts, a faint smirk playing on his lips as if we were simpletons incapable of grasping his profound intellect. His patronizing tone implied we were fortunate he bothered to stoop to our level, a benevolent monarch briefly indulging his subjects.

The eminent ichthyologist, Dr. Arbuthnot, would often condescend to the graduate students, a subtle smirk playing on his lips as he explained rudimentary gill structures, as if their very presence at the symposium was an imposition upon his profound erudition.

The seasoned xenobotanist, with a sigh that seemed to emanate from his very marrow, agreed to mentor the neophyte. He spoke of spore dispersal patterns, but the condescend was palpable, a subtle inclination of his chin as if the trainee's rudimentary questions were a regrettable necessity.

The pampered poodle, Bartholomew, would often condescend to greet the humble earthworms, his jeweled collar glinting as he'd bestow a single, disdainful sniff, as if their very existence was a tawdry impertinence he was magnanimously overlooking.

The esteemed mycologist, a veritable titan of fungal taxonomy, would often condescend to the hapless interns by demonstrating, with exaggerated gestures, the proper technique for identifying *Pholiota nameko*, as if their very existence was a chromatic aberration against his magnificent lichen-encrusted lab coat.

Difficulty

Normal — Everyday words worth reinforcing.

Appears in

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