arrogant
Americanadjective
-
making claims or pretensions to superior importance or rights; overbearingly assuming; insolently proud.
an arrogant public official.
- Synonyms:
- brazen, imperious, haughty, presumptuous
- Antonyms:
- meek
-
characterized by or proceeding from arrogance, or a sense of superiority, self-importance, or entitlement.
arrogant claims.
adjective
Synonym Usage
See proud.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of arrogant
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin arrogant-, stem of arrogāns ) “presuming,” present participle of arrogāre; see arrogate, -ant
Explanation
Arrogant is an adjective for describing people who are too proud and look down on others, like supermodels who think their good looks give them a right to do whatever they want. Arrogant derives from Latin arrogare "to claim," and the idea is that someone is claiming credit or advantages that they are not entitled to. It's close in meaning to haughty and supercilious, but both of those have connotations of coolness and perceived superiority that arrogant does not. An aristocrat could be called all three, but a customs official or traffic cop is more likely to be called arrogant than the other terms.
Vocabulary lists containing arrogant
Ghost
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List 7
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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.
Arrogant in the sense of handing down decisions in major cases that really are punts, making you wonder why they took the case in the first place.
From Slate • Jul. 8, 2023
The next time you are drinking an Arrogant Bastard Ale, a Smooth Hoperator or a Polygamy Porter, remember craft breweries mean much more to communities then just the beer they serve.
From Salon • Jan. 13, 2020
Arrogant and out of shape, a baseball star comes out of retirement after learning he is three hits shy of 3,000.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 1, 2019
"Arrogant little man!" she jokes, wagging her finger at him.
From BBC • Sep. 21, 2019
Arrogant and proud to the end, less than one mile from the demarcation line, the SS-HJ passed in a final review before their commander.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
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.
