pandering

[pan-der-ing] / ˈpæn dər ɪŋ /

VERB

cater to, indulge

Synonyms

STRONG

cajole gratify massage please satisfy snow soap stroke

WEAK

brownnose fall all over lay it on play the game play up to politic soften up suck up to

Antonyms

STRONG

anger annoy disappoint disturb frustrate upset

WEAK

deny dissatisfy refuse

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

When someone photographs a drink she made, it’s pride, not pandering.

From Salon • Nov. 30, 2025

First, good on Mazzulla to straight-up treat the kid as the reporter he clearly is, and answer the question directly, without pandering or turning it into some sort of saccharine after-school special.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

To Didion, Kennedy represented something insidious in the American character: the desire for voters to admire politicians like movie stars, and the pandering of American politicians to provide heroes made of clay.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2025

"There is no truth in the allegations that the government is pandering to Islamists," Shafiqul Alam, press secretary to interim leader Muhammad Yunus, told the BBC.

From BBC • Feb. 18, 2025

She was worried, worried that I would think less of her for pandering to the whimsy of some paranoid lordling.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss