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.
Hopkins registered the trademark in 2018 and began contacting authors who had also used the descriptor — and the list was long, because the cocky, arrogant hero is a romance trope.
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026
Vance speaks of an "arrogant desire to rise above others" sparked by being a "poor kid" who was "desperate to make it."
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
Robert Pattinson portrays the cruel and arrogant antagonist Antinous, who has own eyes fixed firmly on the queen while her husband is still away.
From BBC ● May 5, 2026
Apollo executive John Zito, co-president of the firm’s asset-management arm, has said peers across private-equity have been arrogant about their values on buyouts, including Medallia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
Already, harsh words were being hung on him: arrogant, inept, overconfident.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
