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Anonymous Posted 10 years ago
Vocabulary
condescend in a good sense
Today, 'condescend' is not absolutely used in a good sense?
Why I ask a question is :
?
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary Of Current English (1984) says :
condescend
1 (in a good sense) do th, accept a position, etc that one's rank, merits, abilities, etc do not require one to do: The duke has graciously ~ed to open the new playing field.
2 (in a bad sense) stoop, lower oneself: He occasionally ~ed to trickery/to take bribes.
3 behave graciously, but in a way that shows one's feeling of superiority.: Mr X sometimes ~s to help his wife with the housework.
?
After 1984, almost all advanced learner's dictionaries say condescend only in a bad sense. But I think '1984' is also of recent times. So, I'm not sure whether condescend can be used in a good sense or not nowadays.
Why I ask a question is :
?
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary Of Current English (1984) says :
condescend
1 (in a good sense) do th, accept a position, etc that one's rank, merits, abilities, etc do not require one to do: The duke has graciously ~ed to open the new playing field.
2 (in a bad sense) stoop, lower oneself: He occasionally ~ed to trickery/to take bribes.
3 behave graciously, but in a way that shows one's feeling of superiority.: Mr X sometimes ~s to help his wife with the housework.
?
After 1984, almost all advanced learner's dictionaries say condescend only in a bad sense. But I think '1984' is also of recent times. So, I'm not sure whether condescend can be used in a good sense or not nowadays.
Top answer
You have described the current situation correctly. It's not a commonly heard word, and it is usually used in a negative sense. Clive
- You have described the current situation correctly.
- It's not a commonly heard word, and it is usually used in a negative sense.
- Clive
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2 Answers
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You have described the current situation correctly.
It's not a commonly heard word, and it is usually used in a negative sense.
Clive
It's not a commonly heard word, and it is usually used in a negative sense.
Clive
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In the US (Clive is Canadian), the neutral meanings of "condescend" have been lost or forgotten, and are no longer in use. This word is only used in a negative sense today, and almost exclusively in the adjectival, -ing form of the verb, for example:
I won't tolerate this kind of condescending behavior.
I won't tolerate this kind of condescending behavior.
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