Meaning & use

pander

verb·Academic

To indulge or gratify someone's weaknesses, unworthy desires, or low tastes, often for personal gain.

See it in a sentence

Critics accused the film of pandering to audiences with cheap jokes instead of a real story.

The candidate was criticized for pandering to voters with promises he couldn't keep.

A note on using this word

Pander almost always carries a negative, disapproving tone, implying a cynical or opportunistic motive rather than genuine service, and is regularly followed by 'to.'

Words with a similar meaning

indulgecater to

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

Make it your own

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