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talk down
verb
talked down; talking down; talks down
: to speak in a condescending or oversimplified fashion
: to disparage or belittle by talking
Synonyms
Examples of talk down in a Sentence
a company that prefers to talk up its own products rather than talk down those of its competitors
Recent Examples on the Web
No, that is not Wellens’ brutal honesty coming to the fore by talking down City with potentially inflammatory comments ahead of the big tie… that’s his wife Nicola, who will also be there on Saturday.
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Tim Spiers, The Athletic, 6 Feb. 2025
Unfortunately, Burleson was talking down to his audience, some who might dare to disagree with him.
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Bob Raissman, New York Daily News, 1 Feb. 2025
Know yourself, trust yourself: Medical self-advocacy Reflecting on several medical procedures, Shields shares the times doctors have diminished her pain or talked down to her.
—
Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 16 Jan. 2025
He was talked down in most of the cases by cabinet secretaries and lawyers — until the advent of the coronavirus.
—
Zolan Kanno-Youngs, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025
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Word History
First Known Use
1642, in the meaning defined at transitive sense
Dictionary Entries Near talk down
Cite this Entry
“Talk down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/talk%20down. Accessed 18 Feb. 2025.
Kids Definition
talk down
verb
: to speak in an overly simple manner as if to a person who does not know much
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