There are some phrases that really stand out when someone is being arrogant and condescending.
Some of them may have passed under your radar!
If someone is teasing you and you don’t know why, try taking a quick look at these 10 phrases.
Your annoyance is likely due to the gentle arrogance and condescension of their words.
1) “You can do better than this”
This is a very subtle way of expressing sympathy, and it goes under the radar most of the time because it could easily pass for encouragement.
But while some people may say “You can do better than that!” Seriously, most of the time, it’s actually nothing more than emotion—a way of negating the effort someone put into their work or presentation.
A more constructive way of saying someone could do better is to compliment them first, tell them they can improve somewhat, and then make a specific suggestion.
So if you don’t want to be like them, say something like, “That sounds great! But if you’re open to criticism, there are a few things that could use improvement.”
It takes more words, but overall he’s kinder and more respectful.
2) “Yeah, well…everyone knows that”
As tempting as it may be to say “Oh, everyone knows that” when someone shares something, well… it’s a known fact, don’t.
It’s not good to say that. In addition, it is annoying because even if certain topics have been discussed many times, there is always something new about it to talk about.
So if someone you know has no problem saying this out loud, they are definitely arrogant and condescending even if they don’t think so.
It’s ultimately a way to silence people and make them feel bad for even talking about it in the first place because, well… everyone knows that. They must live under a rock not to know!
3) “I don’t mean to brag, but…”
The moment someone says this phrase, you can be sure that they really mean to brag.
It’s just that they don’t want you to feel bad about yourself. And of course, they don’t want you to think they’re loud and strong…you know, bragging.
It would actually be less offensive if they directly admitted that they were bragging.
Simply saying “I’m very good at driving” isn’t offensive in the least, while saying “I don’t mean to brag, but I’m a good driver” is a major display of arrogance.
It also means that they realize they’re a lot better than you… because after all, the fact that they say that means they realize that you might feel envious and think they’re bragging.
4) “Just a friendly reminder…”
Unless the person saying this is some kind of official broadcaster or regulator trying to make public service announcements, be careful the moment you hear those words come from someone’s mouth.
You can be pretty sure that, most of the time, reminding them isn’t friendly. If anything, he’s likely to be passive aggressive and condescending.
And in a way, she’s basically saying “I guess you don’t care to remember this, so I’m going to remind you and bring it home and I think you forgot it!”
And they will say it, of course, with a fake smile to make you shiver.
5) “You should already know this by now.”
Whether said sympathetically or mentioned in passing, no one likes being told “You should already know this.”
If it was really obvious that one should already know it, then there was no point in saying that phrase.
It’s another way of telling someone they’re a dummy because they don’t know something they really should know right now.
The best way to check if someone knows something is to simply ask about it, regardless of whether it is something that seems “obvious” or “common knowledge”.
They could say, “Excuse me, but you knew that, right?” For example. or “Did you forget this? I can help you.”
6) “You’re completely missing my point”
To say that someone has “completely lost their point” is essentially blaming them for not understanding the explanation well enough.
And this is not entirely fair.
Just because someone tries to explain something doesn’t mean the people they’re talking to will understand it. This is not how the connection works.
If anything, it is the duty of the person making the argument to make their point of view as easy to understand as possible and to bridge this gap between their experiences so that it is understood.
