Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- v. To think it appropriate to one's dignity; condescend: wouldn't deign to greet the servant who opened the door. See Synonyms at stoop1.
- v. To condescend to give or grant; vouchsafe. "Nor would we deign him burial of his men” ( Shakespeare).
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- To think worthy; think well of; think worthy of acceptance.
- To grant or permit, as by condescension or favor.
- To vouchsafe; condescend: with an infinitive for object.
Wiktionary
- v. To condescend; to accept as appropriate to one's dignity.
- v. To condescend to give; to do something.
GNU Webster's 1913
- v. To esteem worthy; to consider worth notice; -- opposed to
disdain . - v. To condescend to give or bestow; to stoop to furnish; to vouchsafe; to allow; to grant.
- v. To think worthy; to vouchsafe; to condescend; - - followed by an infinitive.
WordNet 3.0
- v. do something that one considers to be below one's dignity
Etymologies
- Middle English deinen, from Old French deignier, to regard as worthy, from Latin dignārī, from dignus, worthy; see dek- in Indo-European roots.
Examples
“Is the word deign used correctly here: Did the guy actually think he would deign that question with a response?”
“An American Dictionary of the English Language, s.v., "deign," second listing).”
“It could be that religious believers deign to tolerate other religions purely for self-preservation, calculating that since no single religion has majority status it is best to grant a full measure of liberty to other faiths, to ensure maximum liberty for oneself.”
“Republican, on the other hand, filibustered and blocked the bill, which attempted to address an issue of major concern to Americans and major importance to the U.S. economy — an issue the GOP's "Pledge to America" doesn't even deign to mention.”
The Huffington Post: Terrance Heath: A Pledge To 1% of America
“If Strauss would deign to look at any of the research out of The New Teacher Project, or The Education Trust, she would see this.”
“Inflammatory rhetoric and personal attacks have become the norm when "experts" deign to acknowledge sex worker activists.”
“This was in part because I, too, would never deign to like a fat guy.”
Ask Professor Foxy: Does My Size and Not Flirting Keep Me Alone? - Feministing
“Well, Serena Williams is held in awe by nearly all her peers, especially the Americans, but they do not all deign to approach the grand dame of tennis.”
The Guardian: Australian Open 2012 diary: Craving the word of her Serena majesty
“In order to enjoy housing, shopping and services considered average in other parts of the country—clerks that deign to acknowledge your existence, for instance—we have to pay extra.”
“Microsoft is accusing Google of foul play with regard to Google's new App Sync software, which allows Gmail users to tap into any records they might deign to keep in Outlook.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘deign’.
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4084 more...
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truman486's list
Masterbatory Aids
ensorcelled, scintilla, maudlin, lugubrious, frisson, praxis, copasetic, crotch, corollary, bandy, undulating, anthropomorphic and 65 more...
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Monosyllabic.
How much oomph can you fit in one of them words what don't use more than one sound byte.
morph, deign, pip, thwart, swerve, awe, clash, squall, shriek, prowl, throng, deft and 22 more...
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Breaking free from "I before E"
Words that have an I after an E after a letter that's not C.
sheik, seize, weird, foreign, caffeine, apartheid, deity, heifer, leisure, being, either, height and 30 more...
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salutes
hail, greet, toast, gesture, saluter, doff, gratulate, acclaim, halse, panegyric, salue, salve and 28 more...
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A Song of Ice and Fire
Vocabulary from the epic fantasy series by George R. R. Martin!
destrier, wroth, garron, portcullis, craven, lickspittle, palfrey, ermine, surcoat, brigandine, doublet, deign and 7 more...
garyth123 condescend Mar 13, 2009
slumry A word with an interesting history--it went from "accept graciously" to the current meaning of "condescend." Jul 17, 2007