patronising

«patronising» in Mova's school dictionary: Talking to someone or treating them as if they were less… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

adjective (patronising; more patronising); also the -ing form of the verb patronise (patronise, patronises, patronised, patronising); US spelling patronizing

meaning for a pupil

1) Talking to someone or treating them as if they were less clever or less important than you, in a kind-seeming but rude way. tree →

2) verb form: Being a regular customer of a shop or business (formal). tree →

sense in the lessons

In everyday life and wellbeing lessons, a patronising tone sounds like "Oh, well done, sweetie" said to a grown person, or talking down to children. It hurts because it seems friendly but shows no respect. In writing, it describes a character who looks down on others.

examples

• "Don't be patronising; I can tie my own shoes!" tree →
• His patronising smile made her angry. tree →
• The waiter's patronising voice annoyed Grandad. tree →
• She explained it slowly in a patronising way. tree →
• Speaking to the new girl as if she were a baby was patronising. tree →
• Many families have been patronising the corner shop for years. tree →

note

UK spelling: patronising; US: patronizing. Verb: patronise. The second meaning (being a customer) is formal and old-fashioned. Opposite in attitude: respectful.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «patronising» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.