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bighead

[ big-hed, -hed ]
/ ˈbɪgˈhɛd, -ˌhɛd /
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See synonyms for: bighead / bigheadedness / bigheaded on Thesaurus.com
noun
Informal. an excessive estimate of one's importance; conceit.
Veterinary Pathology.
  1. an inflammatory swelling of the tissues of the head of sheep, caused by the anaerobic bacillus Clostridium novyi.
  2. enlargement of the head and jawbones of horses resulting from nutritional hyperthyroidism.
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Origin of bighead

An Americanism dating back to 1795–1805; big1 + head

OTHER WORDS FROM bighead

bigheaded, adjectivebig·head·ed·ness, noun

Words nearby bighead

big government, Biggs, big gun, biggy, big hair, bighead, big head, have a, big-hearted, big hitter, big hook, bighorn
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to bighead

blowhard, braggart, bragger, egomaniac, egotist, know-it-all, show-off, trumpeter

How to use bighead in a sentence

  • This was gloomy news to us, for we knew that Chief Bighead was one of the worst Indians on the river.

    Then and Now|Robert Vaughn

  • On some farms and in some stables bighead is quite prevalent, a number of cases following one after another.

    Special Report on Diseases of the Horse|United States Department of Agriculture

  • But in the afternoon, Officer "Bighead" struts into the cell-house, in charge of the barber gang.

    Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist|Alexander Berkman

British Dictionary definitions for bighead

bighead
/ (ˈbɪɡˌhɛd) /
noun
informal a conceited person
US and Canadian informal conceit; egotism
vet science
  1. an abnormal bulging or increase in the size of an animal's skull, as from osteomalacia
  2. any of various diseases of sheep characterized by swelling of the head, esp any caused by infection with Clostridium bacteria

Derived forms of bighead

bigheaded, adjectivebigheadedly, adverbbigheadedness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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