1
as in smug
having too high an opinion of oneself
a director who has little patience for overweening actors who think they are above taking advice and criticism
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in excessive
going beyond a normal or acceptable limit in degree or amount
overweening desire for wealth and fame
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in arrogant
having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude
an overweening administrator who simply doesn't know how to manage people
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4
as in inflated
extended beyond normal or realistic bounds
an overweening national pride that prompted its citizens to denigrate other countries
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of overweening
Instead, the grande dame of hospitality was replaced by an overweening, obscenely tall, utterly out of place, speculative supertall skyscraper: the Empire State Building.
—
Justin Davidson, Curbed, 10 July 2025
But an overweening chorus of voices—from legislators, media, and civilian organizations—declared that, unlike white citizens of German and Italian descent, danger lurked in Japanese American bodies.
—Literary Hub, 12 May 2025
The doctrine itself has had all manner of ill effects on the capacity of employers to apply race-neutral or gender-neutral standards of qualification and fitness, and replaced the concept of an equal opportunity employer with the overweening human resources departments that gave us DEI.
—The Editors, National Review, 25 Apr. 2025
Iraqi nationalism is the ultimate hedge against Iran’s overweening ambitions; no Iraqi wishes for his or her country to become a pawn of Iran.
—Linda S. Robinson, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2019
See All Example Sentences for overweening
Justin Davidson, Curbed, 10 July 2025
But an overweening chorus of voices—from legislators, media, and civilian organizations—declared that, unlike white citizens of German and Italian descent, danger lurked in Japanese American bodies.
—Literary Hub, 12 May 2025
The doctrine itself has had all manner of ill effects on the capacity of employers to apply race-neutral or gender-neutral standards of qualification and fitness, and replaced the concept of an equal opportunity employer with the overweening human resources departments that gave us DEI.
—The Editors, National Review, 25 Apr. 2025
Iraqi nationalism is the ultimate hedge against Iran’s overweening ambitions; no Iraqi wishes for his or her country to become a pawn of Iran.
—Linda S. Robinson, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2019
See All Example Sentences for overweening
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overweening
Adjective
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Most smug articles and books that claim to provide quick fixes come off as tone-deaf or even counterproductive.—
Anna Holmes,
The Atlantic,
27 May 2026
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But the series’ central character, played by Rachel Weisz, has enough nervous, itchy, manic energy to make the show’s narrative structure feel purposely unstable rather than safely smug.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
4 May 2026
Adjective
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Too much iron can be dangerous, and excessive vitamin D may lead to high calcium levels and other complications.—
Sara Hoffman,
Verywell Health,
18 June 2026
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Study author Alexandros Vgontzas, MD, director of the Sleep Research and Treatment Center at Penn State College of Medicine, told Health the results suggest that excessive daytime sleepiness and prolonged sleep latency may be important risk factors for hypertension.—
Zoe Cunniffe,
Health,
18 June 2026
Adjective
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The two roles underline the actor’s formidable versatility, all skittish panic in the former and arrogant sociopathy in the other.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
13 June 2026
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Washington State’s beauty is almost arrogant in its expansiveness.—
C Pam Zhang,
Travel + Leisure,
11 June 2026
Adjective
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Spalding contends that the container manufacturers sold equipment at inflated prices to leasing companies, ocean carriers and logistics providers, which then incorporated those costs into lease rates, freight charges and transportation fees.—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
18 June 2026
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An audit published in January of this year showed the NBE was incurring significant losses in the process of buying gold at such an inflated premium.—
Claire Wilmot & Gisa Tunbridge,
The Dial,
12 June 2026
Adjective
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Citadel is proud not to have a touchy-feely atmosphere.—
Gary Sernovitz,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
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From a family cooking class to golf-watching gatherings, these 28 Father’s Day celebrations are sure to make dad proud.—
Samantha Nelson,
Chicago Tribune,
15 June 2026
Adjective
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After the game, the team were addressed by a group of government officials who, according to Ilunga at least, threatened them with extreme consequences if things went really badly in their game against Brazil.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
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After all the angst about traffic, high ticket prices, long security lines and extreme heat, stadium operations ran relatively smoothly.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
16 June 2026
Adjective
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Musk projects that SpaceX will expand its network ten-fold to 100,000 digital birds in the years ahead, and that his superior capacity and extremely low cost ensure by far the dominant position for years to come.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
13 June 2026
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While Folarin Balogun got the striker nod in the final tune-up against Germany, Ricardo Pepi might be the better option against Paraguay given his superior ability to drop deep and link-up play.—
Ian Nicholas Quillen,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Adjective
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Among them was a December 2024 lesson about Christmas that featured Zwarte Piet, or Black Pete, a controversial Dutch holiday character known as a helper to Santa Claus who is depicted with exaggerated, racist physical features — including large red lips.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
16 June 2026
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But the film received criticism in the aftermath of its release, with some naysayers accusing it of being alarmist or exaggerated.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overweening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overweening. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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