This is noticeable in conversation when person A keeps trying to educate the person B. Person A automatically assumes a position of higher knowledge. What is person A doing to person B? It's not patronizing is it, because he isn't necessarily trying to talk to the other person in a condescending manner.
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High and mighty can sometimes be used in this sort of context.– Jonathan SpiritSep 5, 2014 at 17:45
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4It's difficult to visualize a person talking to someone else as if that second person "didn't know anything," without getting the impression that the first person was condescending to the second. The situation would be quite different if the first person were simply supplying details or background information that the second person might not know, while generally treating the second person as an intellectual equal.– Sven YargsSep 5, 2014 at 18:28
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1@SvenYargs It doesn’t necessarily have to be quite so clean-cut. When I get to talking to people about reconstruction Proto-Indo-European on the basis of cognates in various obscure, ancient languages, I generally do talk to them as if they know nothing—because usually, they don’t. I sincerely hope I’m not automatically being condescending towards them. Condescension only necessarily comes into the picture if person A always talks to others like they don’t know anything. Then it’s hard to avoid coming off at condescending, I’ll give you that.– Janus Bahs JacquetSep 5, 2014 at 18:46
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1I don't know anything about reconstruction Proto-Indo-European on any basis, so your condescension (in the "descending to a lower level of discourse to become understandable" sense rather than in the patronizing sense) would be entirely appropriate. But you're right that speaking from a position of superior knowledge need not take the form of arrogance.– Sven YargsSep 5, 2014 at 19:03
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5 Answers
There are several words depending on the context. When you say,
person A keeps trying to educate person B
It can mean that Person A genuinely had more factual information and it was actually a dialogue between Person A and B, then Person A could be educative or informative.
If on the other hand it was one-way traffic and Person A was speaking far more than Person B, then Person A was trying to edify Person B and Person A would be a pedagogue or a pedant; the latter if Person A was being persnickety.
If Person A was condescending to Person B, only in that case would Person A be patronizing Person B.
Person A could be trying to mentor person B in a particular subject
- perhaps A is seeking to evangelize a particular technology or religion
- or A has a pedagogical nature
- A enjoys being in an advisory capacity to others, maybe going so far as dispensing unsolicited advice
It's not one word, but "know-it-all" would describe the situation.
Definition: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/know-it-all
Sounds like person A is talking down to (or patronizing or acting condescending toward) person B.
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1OP: "It's not patronizing is it, because he isn't necessarily trying to talk to the other person in a condescending manner." Jul 14, 2015 at 16:36
If I were Person B, and I did not appreciate Person A's tone or agree with the assumption that Person A was my intellectual superior, I would say
Stop lecturing me.
There are no dictionary definitions I can find that distinguish this usage from the neutral meaning of lecture, but it is one example of an ironic rhetorical device in which a speaker is rebuked for taking on a role they don't really have, ie.
A non-actor delivering a soliloquy
A layperson delivering a sermon
