patronize
patronize Lexical Profile
patronize Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To treat someone with an apparent kindness or helpfulness that betrays a feeling of superiority.
"She asked the technician not to patronize her and to explain the mechanical issue in plain detail."
To frequent a store, restaurant, hotel, or other establishment as a regular customer.
"Local residents are encouraged to patronize independent bookstores and neighborhood cafes."
To act as a patron toward an artist, institution, or cause by providing financial or social support.
"Wealthy Renaissance families regularly patronized painters, sculptors, and architects."
Word Nuance & Usage
"Patronize" is a contronym-like verb with two starkly contrasting registers: when applied to a person, it carries a strongly negative connotation of condescension, whereas when applied to a business or institution, it is a polite, formal word meaning to be a regular customer.
• Rhymes for patronize
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the late 16th century from