ENGLISH
REFERENCE

patronize

v.
C1 Advanced US //ˈpætɹəˌnaɪz// pa·tron·ize Archaic Dialect

v. to visit a business or shop regularly to support it. It can also mean to treat someone in a way that shows you think they are less important than you are.

v. to frequent a commercial establishment as a regular customer; alternatively, to treat someone with condescending or superior indifference. Often carries a negative nuance when describing social interactions.


SIMPLE

I try to patronize local businesses instead of big chains.

CONTEXTUAL

The local bakery thrives because the neighborhood residents choose to patronize it rather than the national supermarket.

COMPLEX

While the wealthy elite often patronize the arts, their condescending attitude toward the working class can sometimes undermine the very cultural institutions they claim to support.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

From patron + -ize (verb ending); or from Old French patroniser, from Medieval Latin patronizāre (“to lead a galley as patron”). Piecewise doublet of patternize.

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