bumptious

American  

[buhmp-shuhs] / ˈbʌmp ʃəs /

adjective

1. offensively self-assertive.

   a bumptious young upstart.

   Synonyms:

   brash, cheeky, cocky, forward, pushy

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bumptious British  

/ ˈbʌmpʃəs /

adjective

1. offensively self-assertive or conceited

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Usage

Where does bumptious come from? For as fun as the word bumptious sounds, its meaning is more forceful. Bumptious is recorded in the late 1790s and is a blend of bump and fractious, meaning “unruly” or “irritable.” Bumptious bumps fractious up to the next level, meaning “offensively self-assertive.”Many more amusing Americanisms await in our slideshow "These Wacky Words Originated In The USA."

Other Word Forms

• bumptiously adverb
• bumptiousness noun
• overbumptious adjective
• overbumptiously adverb
• overbumptiousness noun
• unbumptious adjective
• unbumptiously adverb
• unbumptiousness noun

Etymology

Origin of bumptious

First recorded in 1795–1805; bump + (frac)tious