superiority complex

American  

[suh-peer-ee-awr-i-tee kom-pleks, -or-, soo-] / səˌpɪər iˈɔr ɪ ti ˌkɒm plɛks, -ˈɒr-, sʊ- /

noun

Psychology.

1. an exaggerated feeling of superiority to others, characterized by arrogant or overbearing behavior.

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superiority complex British  

noun

1. informal an inflated estimate of one's own merit, usually manifested in arrogance

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Etymology

Origin of superiority complex

First recorded in 1920–25

Compare meaning

How does superiority-complex compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• superiority complex vs. inferiority complex

Example Sentences

Mr. Metcalfe, who had originally cast Mr. Linville, said he wanted an actor who could play a much more formidable surgeon with a superiority complex.

From New York Times • Aug. 2, 2022

This can veer into an intellectual superiority complex.

From Scientific American • May 28, 2022

The dire conditions of orangutans and other great apes in the wild are a testament to a failure of human stewardship of our planet, much to the contrary of the human superiority complex.

From Salon • Apr. 13, 2022

Constantly overshadowed, the city has developed both an inferiority and superiority complex, resentful of its better-off and better-known neighbor but swaggering with faith in Oakland’s toughness and grit.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 11, 2019

He was a simple man who had no inferiority complex about his lack of education and, even more amazing, no superiority complex because he had succeeded despite that lack.

From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou