TALK DOWN Synonyms: 65 Similar and Opposite Words

talk down

verb

Definition of talk down

as in to dismiss

to express scornfully one's low opinion of a company that prefers to talk up its own products rather than talk down those of its competitors

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 talk down Not talking down to them, and tackling real subject matter that’s universal, about family and relationships and nature versus nurture and grief. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 18 Aug. 2026 The Malheur standoff also drew in the FBI’s elite Hostage Rescue Team, which Northern California sheriffs credited for talking down the Henrichsens and ending last month’s kidnapping without bloodshed. — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 9 Aug. 2026 The influencer, or their manager, already expects to be talked down. — Chris Ryan, Forbes.com, 30 July 2026 Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Chris O’Dowd, and Bryan Cranston lead an excellent voice cast in a family film that doesn’t talk down to the little ones while also providing cozy comfort for their parents. — Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 17 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for talk down

Recent Examples of Synonyms for talk down

Verb

The stance has seen Newsom, who warns the passage of Prop 40 could see an exodus of the super rich from California, mocked and dismissed by fellow Democrats.

— Dominic Patten, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2026
The complaint was ultimately dismissed, and Iowa's Republican leaders celebrated the ruling.

— CBS News, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of dismiss

Verb

Department leaders are evaluating how to best deploy resources for different emergencies and minimize disruptions.

— Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 14 Oct. 2026
Research actually shows that having depression can more than double your risk for dementia, so don’t minimize it, Tucker says.

— Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of minimize

Verb

Blair had tears running down her face, while her team worked to explain what happened.

— Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026
There’s a marshy creek that runs down the west side of the property, and that creekbottom transitions to a 100-yard-wide stretch of hardwoods that border a hayfield.

— Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of run down

Verb

The president of the European Central Bank played down speculation about intervention in France’s ballooning budget crisis on Wednesday.

— John Liu, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
Russia's government played down concerns Monday sparked by media reports that a female scientist in Siberia might have died of exposure to the plague after a lab accident.

— Ramy Inocencio, CBS News, 5 Oct. 2026