At the time, Challenger was the most-flown orbiter in NASAâs fleet. Sadly, the Challenger made history in a different way that morning, entering the books as NASAâs first space shuttle disaster. A mere 73 seconds after liftoff, the space shuttle broke apart over the Atlantic, taking the lives of all seven crewmembers.
Condescending means to treat someone in a demeaning manner by implying that they are inferior, often in an ingratiating, patronizing, or snobbish way. Another term is talking down to someone.
The words condescending and patronizing present a fine example of this. At first glance these words appear to be defined somewhat circularly: condescending often has the word patronizing in its definition, and patronize is defined, in part, as âto adopt an air of condescension toward.â