Third-person singular present tense of condescend; means to treat someone as if you are superior to them, or to stoop to doing something considered beneath your dignity.
From Latin condescendere (con- 'together' + descendere 'to descend'). The verb form has been in English since the 16th century, initially with more neutral meaning before acquiring its negative sense.
The phrase 'he condescends to speak with the servants' reveals how language embeds social hierarchies—the very grammar suggests that talking to lower-class people is something to be reluctant about, which reveals the prejudices of historical English-speaking societies.
Active verb use—'she condescends'—collapses behavior and identity, especially in gendered contexts where women's speech acts receive more scrutiny and negative interpretation than men's parallel acts.
Use sparingly and with clear behavioral referent: 'when he explained despite not being asked, he condescended' vs. vague characterization.
["assumes lesser knowledge","speaks hierarchically about","dismisses the other person's understanding of"]
Men's condescending behavior often goes unlabeled while women's receives sharp social sanction for identical acts; name both or neither.
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