Definition of ARROGANT (original) (raw)
2
: showing an offensive attitude of superiority : proceeding from or characterized by arrogance
Synonyms
Choose the Right Synonym for arrogant
too proud to take charity
arrogant implies a claiming for oneself of more consideration or importance than is warranted.
a conceited and arrogant executive
haughty suggests a consciousness of superior birth or position.
lordly implies pomposity or an arrogant display of power.
insolent implies contemptuous haughtiness.
ignored by an insolent waiter
overbearing suggests a tyrannical manner or an intolerable insolence.
an overbearing supervisor
supercilious implies a cool, patronizing haughtiness.
an aloof and supercilious manner
disdainful suggests a more active and openly scornful superciliousness.
disdainful of their social inferiors
Examples of arrogant in a Sentence
Tim Blixseth, the founder of the Yellowstone Club and other gated hideaways, tells Frank: "I don't like most rich people. They can be arrogant." This from a man who owns two Shih Tzus named Learjet and G2. —
Alex Beam, New York Times Book Review, 10 June 2007 Arrogant execs are not the only targets of investors' ire. … There's no telling how much money analysts such as Meeker cost investors with their interminable buy recommendations on Internet stocks that eventually went bust. —Marcia Vickers et al., Business Week, 25 Feb. 2002 Despite her social and business status in Washington, Graham remained unassuming and down to earth. Her quiet but steady courage affirmed women such as Geneva Overhosler, a former editor and Post ombudsman, by showing a woman could be powerful without being arrogant. —Mark Fitzgerald et al., Editor & Publisher, 23 July 2001 Shakespeare must have known that while his audiences loved to see villains punished and arrogant young men humbled, they did not want to fidget and squirm through mea culpas before the final scene. —Elaine Showalter, Civilization, April/May 1999
She's first in her class, but she's not arrogant about it. the arrogant young lawyer elbowed his way to the head of the line of customers, declaring that he was too busy to wait like everybody else
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Inside Llewyn Davis star plays Victor Frankenstein, the arrogant scientist who successfully creates life out of an assemblage of deceased body parts. —Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 30 Jan. 2025 An arrogant advertiser at the peak of success is forced to promote a tycoon as a presidential candidate, while a mysterious stalker threatens to destroy his agency and his reputation. —Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 21 Jan. 2025 And a lot of fans have turned their ire toward the SEC, and were happy to see the Fighting Irish stick it to that league’s arrogant defenders by beating Georgia last week. —Dan Shanoff, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025 The Democrats today recall the Whigs lacerated by Marx in nineteenth-century Britain, another liberal party tied to an arrogant economic elite. —Matthew Karp, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for arrogant 
Word History
Etymology
Middle English arrogant, arragaunt, borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, borrowed from Latin arrogant-, arrogans "insolent, overbearing, presumptuous," from present participle of arrogāre "to lay claim to, claim to possess, be conceited" — more at arrogate
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of arrogant was in the 15th century
Dictionary Entries Near arrogant
Cite this Entry
“Arrogant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arrogant. Accessed 12 Feb. 2025.
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Last Updated: 2 Feb 2025 - Updated example sentences
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