(phrasal verb) in the sense of condescend to. to speak to (someone) in a patronizing manner. She never talked down to her students. condescend to.
: to talk to (someone) in an overly simple way which suggests that he or she is not intelligent.
On this page you'll find 47 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to bad-mouth, such as: belittle, criticize, cut down to size, dis, disparage, and dump on.
Telling someone they "always" or "never" do something
For example, were you to tell someone, "You're always late," or, "You never clean the toilet," they're likely to feel as if you're making a definitive statement about who they are and will almost certainly rack their brains for contradictory evidence.
On this page you'll find 105 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to belittle, such as: criticize, decry, deride, discredit, disparage, and downplay.
The definition of “belittle” can be easily surmised from the two words that it is made up of, “be” and “little.” Said another way, belittling is language or behavior that literally makes someone feel small, unimportant, inferior or minimized.
: to speak in a condescending or oversimplified fashion. transitive verb. : to disparage or belittle by talking.
Someone who is rude and condescending may be described as: patronizing, imperious, scornful, lordly, insulting, disdainful, graceless, brusque, uncivil, arrogant, audacious, crass, and churlish.
On this page you'll find 279 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to rude, such as: abusive, blunt, boorish, coarse, crude, and ignorant.
Think of it as sugarcoated antagonism. Patronizing people talk down to you. Their goal is to feel superior at your expense, resulting in you feeling belittled and inferior. You need a good game plan to defend against this type of behavior—or else your self-confidence is going to take a big hit.
Many people who condescend are insecure. They're looking for a way to to demonstrate their superiority and comfort themselves that you're no threat to them and that they're worthier than anyone else.
If someone patronizes you, they speak or behave towards you in a way which seems friendly, but which shows that they think they are superior to you in some way. [disapproval] Don't you patronize me! [ VERB noun] Cornelia often felt patronised by her tutors. [
This type of passive-aggressive behavior is meant to put you in your place, even though it's often disguised as reasonable or friendly. Think of it as sugarcoated antagonism. Patronizing people talk down to you. Their goal is to feel superior at your expense, resulting in you feeling belittled and inferior.
Other forms: innuendoes; innuendos. Speaking in innuendo is when you say something indirectly — often of a hurtful or sexual nature. Innuendo in Latin means "to point to" or "nod to." When you refer to something indirectly, you point at it without mentioning it, making an innuendo.
Therapists say condescending behavior can take many forms, ranging from subtle to outright rude. Examples include belittling comments, patronizing questions, frequent interruptions, eye-rolling, sarcasm and mean jokes.
Consider stopping speaking when someone interrupts you. Allow for a brief pause, and then continue with a question like, "May I finish?" and resume sharing your thought. However, if someone is especially rude, you may choose to not resume the conversation and walk away.
On this page you'll find 70 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to disrespectful, such as: blasphemous, contemptuous, flippant, impolite, profane, and sacrilegious.
On this page you'll find 16 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to abusive talk, such as: abuse, invective, obloquy, revilement, ribaldry, and scurrility.
Synonyms: carper, castigator, caviler (or caviller), censurer, criticizer, disparager, critic, hypercritic, knocker, niggler, nitpicker.
Individuals who mistreat others might have a variety of reasons for their behavior, some of which they may not be aware of. For instance, a person who puts others down may have low self-esteem, childhood trauma, or past experience being bullied, among other possible reasons.