to talk down
14
6.7
- phrasal verb
- /tɔk daʊn/
- Offensive
:
hablar con condescendencia
- She tends to talk down to her colleagues during meetings, which makes them feel undervalued.
- talk down to kids
- talks down to people
- talk down to its audience
It's because I talk to people, not down to them.
- It's because I talk to people, not down to them.
- So they think you should be talking either down to them or talking to them in a stern way.
- So if you come in with this, this attitude where you're going to preach at them or talk down at them and young man pull your pants up, that just doesn't work.
- But I never have and never will talk down to people who don't take the vaccine.
- But when he was drinking, he would talk down to my mother, and I hated him for it.
- I think young people are seeing that that kind of talking down to people from a position of power.
- Don't yell, don't menace, don't be passive aggressive, don't demean, don't talk down to people, don't yell at people.
- His prose is always cleat, clean, tight and intelligent, and he never, ever talked down to his reader.
- If you can communicate in a non judge mental way, in a compassionate way, not talking down to people, then people actually will make change.
- People sometimes talk down to me, call me naive, perhaps they are right, but it is who I am.
- Do you have any advice for us on how you talk to non scientists, politicians, people in power without talking down to them?
- Not attacking them, not talking down to them, but clearly stating what the issue is, why there's a disconnect.
Examples
-
I never did talk down to my girls the way some grown-up folks do with children.
Fiction book (1993) -
Today I, once again, allowed a professional to talk down to me.
Blog text (19) -
We're doing important stuff here, you know, and you talk down to people and you.
-
I think young people are seeing that that kind of talking down to people from a position of power.
-
One never got the sense that he was talking down to you.
Blog text (27) -
Do some research and stop trying to talk down to others.
Blog text (8) -
But when he was drinking, he would talk down to my mother, and I hated him for it.
-
I am asking very nicely to please stop talking down to me like that.
Blog text (20) -
If you continue talking down to me, I'm going to start returning the favor.
Blog text (5) -
I recommend that the one thing we don't do to potential voters is talk down to them.
Blog text (4)
Synonyms
55
4.9
To make someone feel unimportant by saying bad things about them
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
52
7.0
To treat someone as if you are better or smarter than them
45
5.0
To make someone or something seem not important
15
6.6
Speak to someone as if they are less smart or important
7
7.8
To act as if you are better than other people and make them feel small
3
7.6
Make someone feel less proud by criticizing or embarrassing them
3
8.6
To say bad things about someone to make them look worse
Talk to someone in a way that shows you feel better than them
To say things that make other people feel small
Antonyms
How Condescending
53
6.8
- Offensive
52
7.0
- Offensive
14
6.7
45
5.0
- Offensive
543
2.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
talk + down
There is a clear link between 'talk' (speak) and 'down' (lower), so the idea of using speech to cause or guide a descent is partially derivable; however, the specific technical sense of directing an aircraft's landing by radio is specialised and not fully predictable for a B1 learner. Additionally, the verb 'talk down' has other idiomatic senses (e.g. persuade someone not to jump; speak condescendingly), which increases ambiguity and means prior exposure or context is typically required.
Etymology
Talk down comes from the image of a person speaking from above, with the talk going down to someone lower, so the words feel belittling. That's why it means 'to treat someone as less important'.