arrogate

American  

[ar-uh-geyt] / ˈær əˌgeɪt /

verb (used with object)

arrogates, present (3rd person singular) arrogated, past participle, past arrogating present participle

1. to claim unwarrantably or presumptuously; assume or appropriate to oneself without right.

   to arrogate the right to make decisions.

2. to attribute or assign to another; ascribe.

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arrogate British  

/ əˈrɒɡətɪv, ˈærəˌɡeɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to claim or appropriate for oneself presumptuously or without justification

2. (tr) to attribute or assign to another without justification

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• arrogation
  noun
• arrogator
  noun
• arrogative
  adjective
• unarrogated
  adjective
• unarrogating
  adjective
• arrogatingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• arrogating
  present
• arrogated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• arrogate
  simple
• arrogates
  simple
• have arrogated
  perfect
• has arrogated
  perfect
• am arrogating
  progressive
• are arrogating
  progressive
• is arrogating
  progressive
• have been arrogating
  perfect progressive
• has been arrogating
  perfect progressive

Past

• arrogated
  simple
• had arrogated
  perfect
• was arrogating
  progressive
• were arrogating
  progressive
• had been arrogating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will arrogate
  simple
• will have arrogated
  perfect
• will be arrogating
  progressive
• will have been arrogating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of arrogate

1530–40; < Latin arrogātus appropriated, assumed, questioned (past participle of arrogāre ), equivalent to arrog- ( ar- ar- + rog ( āre ) to ask, propose) + -ātus -ate ¹

Explanation

To arrogate is to take over. When the teacher steps out of the classroom and some bossy student marches up to the front of the class and begins scolding the other kids? The student is trying to arrogate the teacher's authority. When someone takes control of something, often without permission, such as when a military general assumes the power of a country's government after getting rid of the previous leader, they arrogate power or control to themselves. Occasionally the verb arrogate means something like "assert one's right to," or take something that is deserved, but more often it implies a taking by force.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

arrogate arrogates arrogated arrogating

“Shortly thereafter, John embarked on a series of steps to arrogate to himself complete control over Mr. Angelos’ assets.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 10, 2022

They are truly generative, an apt term for a novel that queries a selfish inventor, his damaged creature and science’s threat to arrogate creation to itself.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2018

Judge Jackson said the action was “a stunning power for an agency to arrogate to itself” that the law did not support.

From New York Times ● Mar. 24, 2012

"No one in this country, however strong and sincere are his convictions and however honorable he may be, has the right to arrogate to himself to decide which laws are bad laws."

From Time Magazine Archive

For what is the common property of all, no individual may arrogate to himself, unless he be called.

From Works of Martin Luther With Introductions and Notes (Volume II) by Luther, Martin

The rapid team collapse was head-spinning news not only in Australia but also among worldwide fans of cricket, a sport that arrogates to itself a particular moral sanctimony.

From New York Times ● Mar. 29, 2018

As such, it has been subject to attack time immemorial from every agency that fears new truth, or that arrogates to itself the exclusive possession of particular areas of truth.

From Time Magazine Archive

Where the Olympic Charter goes astray is on the very next page, on which the IOC arrogates for itself Supreme Authority.

From Time Magazine Archive

What is it that arrogates that authority to someone else?

From Time Magazine Archive

He has been taught that there are times and circumstances when religious and ethical standards may or must be set aside, and he arrogates to himself the right of determining them.

From England and Germany by Hughes, William Morris

Today, we have a priest who has disbanded the pastoral council and arrogated governance to himself and his staff.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 8, 2023

To Covington & Burling, the answer was clear: it lay with Congress, and, if Trump arrogated that power to himself, the firm was prepared to take on a lawsuit pro bono.

From The New Yorker ● Sep. 24, 2018

He had arrogated to himself the privilege to call, and to assume the president would take his call.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 28, 2018

But journalists have arrogated it to themselves in disproportionate numbers.

From Washington Post ● May 4, 2018

The head of a college-department introduce as "Professor"—and it is to them only that the title properly belongs, though arrogated by all sorts of public exhibitors, mesmerists and jugglers included.

From The Ladies' Guide to True Politeness and Perfect Manners or, Miss Leslie's Behaviour Book by Leslie, Eliza

So, of course, it’s not just that he’s arrogating the piggy bank to himself.

From Slate ● Oct. 17, 2025

He’s also arrogating actual facts to himself, which makes this triply scary.

From Slate ● Oct. 17, 2025

The natural consequence is that the objective world is arrogating the first place in consciousness, and the subjective world is sinking into the secondary rank.

From The Destiny of the Soul A Critical History of the Doctrine of a Future Life by Alger, William Rounseville

All this, when Augustine's position is remembered, will be seen to show how far Rome then was from arrogating to herself any strange supremacy such as later days have brought.

From The Church and the Barbarians Being an Outline of the History of the Church from A.D. 461 to A.D. 1003 by Hutton, William Holden

And this apparent weirdness arises from the fact that our superficial judgments are the work of reason and sensation arrogating to themselves the whole field of consciousness.

From The Complex Vision by Powys, John Cowper