Condescension - what is it? This concept refers to human properties that are difficult to evaluate unambiguously. It is impossible to say for sure whether it is positive or negative. In some cases, you can support a person by showing gentleness or tolerance towards him. And in others, you can do him a disservice by not “pressing” him in time. You can learn more about what this is - indulgence, in the review below.
First interpretation
The word being studied is also interesting because it has two shades of meaning, which to a certain extent contradict each other. Or rather, they are different sides of the same coin.
The first meaning of indulgence is one of the human properties that corresponds to the adjective "indulgent". This word is used when talking about the manifestation of tolerance, lack of rigor andbeing overly demanding of someone or something.
Examples of the use of the word are as follows:
- The mother was very intolerant of the whims of her little child, but the grandmother, wise in her life experience, most often showed condescension.
- Sergeev was no longer the former director who showed endless good nature and condescension, now from the very beginning he made his subordinates feel the difference between himself and the employees.
- Despite his previous military merits, Captain Bulavin could no longer count on the former favor and indulgence of his superiors, the reason for this was his omissions from work and frequent, long absences from the squadron.
- Yevgeny's father was a very strict man, including in the family, but the boy often felt his indulgence on himself, realizing that it was caused solely by love for him, as for the youngest, late child.
Second value
The second interpretation, in contrast to the first, speaks not of benevolence, but of an expression of clear superiority, of a patronizing-favorable attitude, of some kind of neglect.
Examples illustrating this shade of meaning:
- Even at the beginning of this century, producers showed indulgence towards the fantasy genre. “Just think, some children's fairy tales, super blockbusters are a completely different matter!”, They said.
- Oleg was very annoyed that some kind ofcondescension towards him as a less educated person.
- Tamara showed condescension towards Andrey, as she immediately decided that he was not at all her type, and you should not pay special attention to him as a potential boyfriend.
- Initiates looked at the lower caste with condescension, mixed with distrust and even with some contempt.
For a better assimilation of the meaning of the object under study, it is worth considering words that are close in meaning to "indulgence".
Synonyms
These include the following:
- softness;
- tolerance;
- undemanding;
- tolerance;
- undemanding;
- liberalism;
- liberalism;
- favor;
- lack of rigor;
- pity;
- sympathy;
- delicacy;
- patience;
- friendliness;
- good nature;
- kindness;
- meekness;
- affectionateness;
- kindness;
- cordiality;
- empathy;
- support;
- indulgence;
- connivance;
- easing;
- easing.
As discussed above, the word under study has two meanings, so the synonyms will be different.
Synonyms for the second shade of meaning
Here are examples of such words:
- self-confidence;
- lordship;
- arrogance;
- arrogance;
- look down;
- puffiness;
- superiority;
- arrogance;
- arrogance;
- patronizing;
- neglect.
To help understand that this is condescension, words that are opposite in meaning can also be used.
Antonyms
These include:
- demanding;
- hardness;
- intransigence;
- hardness;
- stubbornness;
- sustainability;
- rigorism;
- strictness;
- exacting;
- perseverance;
- resistance;
- disfavor;
- stubbornness;
- ruthlessness.
Thus, condescension is both benevolence and contempt - it all depends on the context.
