CONDESCENSION Synonyms: 98 Similar and Opposite Words

condescension

noun

Definition of condescension

as in arrogance

the attitude or behavior of people who believe they are more intelligent or better than other people The author discusses the politics of the region without condescension.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of condescension Plays written about teenagers are not easy to pull off with authenticity and without condescension. — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2026 Dog Day Afternoon has unique sympathy for its central characters, emphasizing their desperation and seemingly endless complexity without condescension or oversimplification. — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Aug. 2026 His condescension toward his mother surely represents patriarchal attitudes of the period. — Marlow Stern, Variety, 17 July 2026 Even more than his spelling book, Webster’s An American Dictionary of the English Language was an attempt to fashion the materials for writers to address that sort of condescension. — Literary Hub, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for condescension

Recent Examples of Synonyms for condescension

Noun

An America that seeks justice with dignity and wisdom, not arrogance and gore.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
These fascinating, illuminating episodes raise the question of whether great fiction requires the kind of single-mindedness and even arrogance that McCarthy cultivated.

— New York Times, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of arrogance

Noun

For twenty years, McCarthy has been swimming against the current, writing novels that reflect, with unusual intensity, his disdain for the conventional underpinnings of literary fiction.

— Max Callimanopulos, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026
Evidence leading up to the assassination showed Robinson’s left-leaning political views and disdain toward Kirk.

— Mackenzie Chase, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of disdain

Noun

Meanwhile, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), which sees space superiority as essential to winning future wars, is developing a range of space capabilities as well as a suite of weapons that can attack satellites.

— Kathleen Curlee, Foreign Affairs, 14 Oct. 2026
Credibility is affected deeply by strategic cultural assessments about superiority and inferiority, and notions about when, where, how and for whom the credibility matters.

— Christopher Nichols, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of superiority

Noun

Von Dohlen, for his part, criticized 28 years of Democratic dominance on the five-member Commissioners Court, blaming county leadership for billions of dollars in debt.

— Katie Bartlett, San Antonio Express-News, 16 Oct. 2026
Dior‘s dominance in the brand ranking was largely thanks to its creative director Jonathan Anderson, whose name appeared in 65 percent of Dior’s AI mentions, with 37 percent of those mentions pointed to a distinct identity for the house.

— Miles Socha, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of dominance

Noun

The rise of loans at Americans’ fingertips Short-term financing has skyrocketed in popularity since the pandemic, when the emergence of these on-demand pay tools, as well as buy-now, pay-later apps aligned with increases in inflation.

— Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
Given Abbey’s anxieties about spending money and fear of not having enough, Stacy plans to use very conservative assumptions for inflation, health costs and average returns when making her projections based on Abbey’s savings today.

— Jeanne Sahadi, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of inflation

Browse Nearby Words

condescends

condescension

condign

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Condescension.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/condescension. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of condescension

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

compunction

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes