as in to lord (it over)
to assume or treat with an air of superiority
just because I don't have extensive experience in the field is no reason to talk down to me as if I were a child
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for talk down (to)
Verb
-
According to a press release, more than 82 million passengers patronized Denver's airport.—
Logan Smith,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026 -
By the turn of the 21st century, ordinary Iranians were patronizing internet cafés—Tehran alone had about 1,500 by 2001—and meeting in online chat rooms.—
Nahid Siamdoust,
The Atlantic,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In the men's singles final in figure skating, the NBC telecast just cut to a shot of American Max Naumov, who was juggling a soccer ball.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Catherine’s brother Hindley, a vicious bully whose abuse is part of what drives Cathy and Heathcliff so closely together, is cut entirely, his role combined with Catherine’s father.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Talk down (to).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/talk%20down%20%28to%29. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
