to speak with condescension
- phrasal verb
- /spiːk wɪð ˌkɒndɪˈsɛnʃən/
:
hablar con condescendencia
- The manager tended to speak with condescension when addressing his junior staff.
Examples
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She realized that to speak with condescension would only make her students resentful.
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She often speaks with condescension when discussing politics.
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If you speak with condescension, people are unlikely to respect your opinions.
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Don't speak with condescension to your colleagues!
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The teacher's tendency to speak with condescension alienated many of her students.
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During the meeting, he would often speak with condescension to those he considered less experienced.
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When she speak with condescension, it makes it hard for her friends to share their thoughts.
Synonyms
52
7.0
To treat someone as if you are better or smarter than them
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
Antonyms
How Respectful
Surface Forms
Morphology
speak + with + condescension
The meaning is directly compositional: 'condescension' denotes patronizing superiority and 'with' marks manner, so 'speak with condescension' straightforwardly means 'speak in a patronizing way.' This follows a common verb + with + noun (manner) pattern found across languages, so a learner who knows the constituents would understand the MWE.
Etymology
Speak with condescension comes from the image of someone standing above or looking down at another person while they speak, showing condescension as if they are on a higher level. That's why it means 'to talk as if you are more important or smarter than someone'.