arrogant

adjective

ar·​ro·​gant ˈer-ə-gənt How to pronounce arrogant (audio)
ˈa-rə-
1
: exaggerating or disposed to exaggerate one's own worth or importance often by an overbearing manner
an arrogant official
2
: showing an offensive attitude of superiority : proceeding from or characterized by arrogance
an arrogant reply
arrogantly adverb
Choose the Right Synonym for arrogant

proud, arrogant, haughty, lordly, insolent, overbearing, supercilious, disdainful mean showing scorn for inferiors.

proud may suggest an assumed superiority or loftiness.

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.

a haughty aristocrat

lordly implies pomposity or an arrogant display of power.

a lordly condescension

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 Sadly, his arrogant performance accepting his Oscar has diminished that achievement for people like me as well as my family and friends. Richard Trank, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2024 The Constitution doesn’t guarantee good presidents, but at their worst, none was as uncouth, arrogant, cruel and downright thuggish as Trump. Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 13 Jan. 2024 Not to sound arrogant, but why are employers turning down a Bachelor's degree holder for a job that pays $30,000 a year? Jack Kelly, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024 Your co-worker was arrogant enough to take this issue to your supervisor. Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 2 Feb. 2024 But this is far from an inspirational tale, as Aaron Sorkin’s whip-smart screenplay portrays Zuckerberg as arrogant and petty, as demonstrated by his turning against his best friend, Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield). Kevin Jacobsen and Sammi Burke, EW.com, 17 Nov. 2023 Russia, in contrast, fumbled: a big, arrogant, and lumbering bear, overconfident of a rapid victory. Mick Ryan, Foreign Affairs, 5 Feb. 2024 Hubris is still the provenance of the arrogant assumption. Neil Senturia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Jan. 2024 And yet, South Africa has been acting with an arrogant sense of impunity that is not just insensitive to global realities, but also oblivious to the needs of its citizens. Ivor Ichikowitz, Fortune, 26 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'arrogant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

arrogant

adjective
ar·​ro·​gant ˈar-ə-gənt How to pronounce arrogant (audio)
1
: overly proud of oneself or one's own opinions
2
: marked by arrogance
arrogant remarks
arrogantly adverb

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