conceited

[kuhn-see-tid]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR conceited ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

having an excessively favorable opinion of one's abilities, appearance, etc.

Archaic.

having an opinion.
fanciful; whimsical.

Obsolete. intelligent; clever.

Origin of conceited

First recorded in 1535–45; conceit + -ed²

Related formscon·ceit·ed·ly, adverbcon·ceit·ed·ness, nounun·con·ceit·ed, adjectiveun·con·ceit·ed·ly, adverb

Synonyms for conceited

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR conceited ON THESAURUS.COM

1. vain, proud, egotistical, self-important, self-satisfied.

conceit

[kuhn-seet]

noun

an excessively favorable opinion of one's own ability, importance, wit, etc.

something that is conceived in the mind; a thought; idea: He jotted down the conceits of his idle hours.

imagination; fancy.

a fancy; whim; fanciful notion.

an elaborate, fanciful metaphor, especially of a strained or far-fetched nature.

the use of such metaphors as a literary characteristic, especially in poetry.

a fancy, purely decorative article.

British Dialect.

favorable opinion; esteem.
personal opinion or estimation.

Obsolete. the faculty of conceiving; apprehension.

verb (used with object)

to flatter (especially oneself).

British Dialect. to take a fancy to; have a good opinion of.

Obsolete.

to imagine.
to conceive; apprehend.

Idioms

out of conceit with, displeased or dissatisfied with.

Origin of conceit

1350–1400; Middle English conceyte, conceipt, derivative of conceive by analogy with deceive, deceit and receive, receipt; compare Anglo-French conceite; see concept

Synonyms for conceit

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR conceit ON THESAURUS.COM

1. self-esteem, vanity, egotism, complacency. See pride.

Antonyms for conceit

1. humility.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for conceited

arrogant, cocky, gall, ham, immodest, know-it-all, narcissistic, overweening, phony, self-important, snotty, vain, vainglorious, windbag, bigheaded, loudmouth, swollen-headed

Examples from the Web for conceited

Contemporary Examples of conceited

He called her “a silly chattering windbag, an infernal liar, a conceited, gushing, rump-wagging, blethering ass.”
Gertrude of Arabia, the Woman Who Invented Iraq
Clive Irving
June 17, 2014

Historical Examples of conceited

It helps one, or should help one, to realise both, and not to be too conceited about either.
De Profundis
Oscar Wilde
You'll think I'm a conceited ass, but I'm not a bad sort, Eudora.
The Yates Pride
Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
I mean you think I'm conceited and rich and don't know what trouble is.
The Fortune Hunter
Louis Joseph Vance
Take him all in all, James was a bigot, a tyrant, a conceited fool.
The Bay State Monthly, Vol. 1, Issue 1.
Various
You pet them and fawn on them, and naturally they get conceited.
A Woman Intervenes
Robert Barr

British Dictionary definitions for conceited

conceited

adjective

having a high or exaggerated opinion of oneself or one's accomplishments

archaic fanciful

obsolete witty or intelligent

Derived Formsconceitedly, adverbconceitedness, noun

conceit

noun

a high, often exaggerated, opinion of oneself or one's accomplishments; vanity

literary an elaborate image or far-fetched comparison, esp as used by the English Metaphysical poets

archaic

a witty expression
fancy; imagination
an idea

obsolete a small ornament

verb (tr)

Northern English dialect to like or be able to bear (something, such as food or drink)

obsolete to think or imagine

Word Origin for conceit

C14: from conceive

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

Word Origin and History for conceited

adj.

c.1600, "having an overweening opinion of oneself" (short for self-conceited, 1590s); earlier "having intelligence" (1540s); past participle adjective from conceit (q.v.).

conceit

late 14c., "something formed in the mind, thought, notion," from conceiven (see conceive) based on analogy of deceit and receipt. Sense evolved from "something formed in the mind," to "fanciful or witty notion" (1510s), to "vanity" (c.1600) through shortening of self-conceit (1580s).