hubris
Americannoun
noun
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pride or arrogance
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(in Greek tragedy) an excess of ambition, pride, etc, ultimately causing the transgressor's ruin
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of hubris
First recorded in 1880–85, hubris is from the Greek word hýbris insolence
Explanation
Hubris is an excess of confidence: a boxer who shouts "I'm the greatest!" even though he's about to get pummeled by a much stronger opponent is displaying a lot of hubris. Hubris is from Greek, where it meant "excessive pride, violating the bounds set for humans" and was always punished by the gods. We no longer have the Greek gods, so in English it just refers to over-the-top self-confidence. If you call yourself the best in something, you better have the goods to back it up, since too much hubris can lead to embarrassment and humiliation. It's an age-old human failing: pride goeth before the fall.
Vocabulary lists containing hubris
100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know
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Into the Wild
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "H"
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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 the Situational Awareness fund unraveled last month, veterans on Wall Street saw it as the latest cautionary tale of hubris.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
She said the "hubris and incompetence" of those in charge of Scotland's ferry network had "failed a blameless workforce that deserves the chance to turn the page".
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
It’s the hubris of this, the shamelessness of it.
From Slate ● Jul. 13, 2026
That wasn’t my favorite Fourth, though you’ll forgive my hubris if I think it was my most patriotic.
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026
Eighteen years after the event, I now recognize that I suf-fered from hubris, perhaps, and an appalling innocence, certainly; but I wasn’t suicidal.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
