deign

verb

deigned; deigning; deigns

intransitive verb

: to condescend reluctantly and with a strong sense of the affront to one's superiority that is involved : stoop
would not even deign to talk to him
One iconoclastic architect, for example, doesn't deign to speak of bathrooms.Carol Vogel

transitive verb

: to condescend to give or offer
never so much as deigning a glanceGeorge Meredith

Examples of deign in a Sentence

I wouldn't deign to answer that absurd accusation.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Nor were established procedures for adjudicating such a failure followed; the government didn’t even deign to give the appearance of doing so. Michael S. Roth, Time, 28 Mar. 2025 Tesla, which dissolved its public relations team in 2020 and only deigned to expand its advertising in 2024 after years of Musk acting as a one-man marketing department, has been unable or unwilling to push back against these commentaries. Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 7 Mar. 2025 Toronto is one of only three cities that Sasaki has deigned to visit. Tony Blengino, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025 As for the why David Lynch deigned to do this, the man explained his reasoning in a tweet. Bethy Squires, Vulture, 19 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for deign

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French deigner, from Latin dignare, dignari, from dignus worthy — more at decent

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of deign was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Deign.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deign. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

deign

verb
: to think proper to one's dignity
did not deign to reply to the rude remark

More from Merriam-Webster on deign

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