to patronize
52
7.0
- verb
- /ˈpeɪtrəˌnaɪz/
- Offensive
:
tratar con condescendencia
- He felt that the manager tended to patronize his team, undermining their confidence in their abilities.
- patronize older people
No Bravo lines, you patronizing Canadian.
- No Bravo lines, you patronizing Canadian.
- And one of the common mistakes that you know younger writers make is that they patronize the audience by explaining too much.
- Like, Oh, well, actually, what, what racial arguments and and tensions need is me to patronize people and say, I know what's good for you.
- And the thing about the vaccine that has pissed me off so much is the marketing around it, because the marketing is fucking the most patronizing.
Examples
-
Counselors must be careful to avoid communication that appears to be condescending or patronizing.
Academic text (2004) -
And one of the common mistakes that you know younger writers make is that they patronize the audience by explaining too much.
-
Bottom line, don't patronize kids, you know?
-
Please don't patronize me, sir.
-
Oh, don't patronize me, James.
-
Mr. Graham, I am not patronizing you.
-
A nurse who speaks too slowly will run the risk of sounding patronizing.
Academic text (2011) -
Please don't patronize me.
-
Older people dislike being patronized, so they should discourage this behavior in peers too.
Academic text (1993) -
In addition, they found the overtures of some "liberal" English speakers patronizing and overbearing.
Academic text (2004)
Synonyms
53
3.7
Think you are better than someone and treat them as less important
53
6.8
To make someone feel less respected or important
15
6.6
Speak to someone as if they are less smart or important
14
6.7
To speak to someone as if they are less smart or less important
7
7.8
To act as if you are better than other people and make them feel small
7
8.2
Treat someone as if you are better than them
1
8.4
Say or do things that make someone seem less respected
Talk to someone in a way that shows you feel better than them
Showing that someone or something has little value
Made to seem less important or less valued by other people
To act like someone is less able in a motherly way
How Condescending
- Offensive
414
6.1
53
6.8
45
5.0
- Offensive
52
7.0
- Offensive
15
6.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Patronize comes from patron, originally a 'father' or 'protector' who stood above others, and that idea could sound like looking down on people. So to patronize someone today is to treat them as if you are more important or clever than they are.