Patronize

Quick meaning: Patronize is a verb meaning (transitive) To act as a patron of; to defend, protect, or support.

Meaning

(transitive) To act as a patron of; to defend, protect, or support.

More Meanings

1. (transitive) To make oneself a customer of a business, especially a regular customer.
2. (transitive) To assume a tone of unjustified superiority toward; to talk down to, to treat condescendingly.
3. (transitive, obsolete) To blame, to reproach.

Example Sentences

A great perſonage aſked lord S——h, how the citizens came to patronize ſuch a profligate as Wilkes. His lordſhip replied, "They would patronize the devil, if he aſſiſted them to pull down a miniſter."

Music and dance, in ancient times, were mainly patronized by religion, in the same way as art was patronized in the west by the church. Right from [the] epic period, through [the] Gupta and Mughal period, art including music has been patronized by kings, princes and nobles.

But she is totally devoid of elegant accomplishments, excepting the knowledge of French and Italian, which she acquired from the most grotesque monster you ever beheld, whom my father has engaged as a kind of librarian, and whom he patronizes, I believe, to show his defiance of the world's opinion.

"A chearful glaſs, then," ſaid Sir Sedley, "you think horridly intolerable?" [...] "Well, the glaſs is not what I patroniſe," ſaid Sir Theophilus; "it hips me ſo conſumedly the next day; no, I can't patroniſe the glaſs." / "Not patroniſe wine?" cried Lord Newford; "O hang it! O curſe it! that's too bad, Offy![…]"

Word Forms

• patronizes
• patronizing
• patronized
• patronise

Synonyms for patronize

Depending on context, synonyms include enpatron, patrocinate, condescend, infantilize, support, patronage.

Antonyms for patronize

Common opposites include boycott.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include patronage, sponsor, shop, support, frequent, condescend.

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