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as in cavalier
having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude the presumptuous doctor didn't even bother to explain to me the treatment that I would be receiving

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of presumptuous Any suggestion that the Eagles offense is just as formidable without Hurts is either hopeful or presumptuous. Brooks Kubena, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025 Many felt that the mother-in-law was indeed being presumptuous. Karen Fratti, People.com, 23 Mar. 2025 Maybe some person will be presumptuous enough to wonder aloud what might have influenced the plot of this book. Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 5 Feb. 2025 Stone sails through all this, seeing off the sneering disapproval of white America and the presumptuous demands of the Black Panthers with equal disdain, and for a time his band, the aptly named Sly and the Family Stone, become a republic within the republic. Damon Wise, Deadline, 24 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for presumptuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for presumptuous
Adjective
  • In 2022, Ackles joined the cast of Prime Video's The Boys as arrogant superhero Soldier Boy.
    Brianne Tracy, People.com, 4 July 2025
  • Her larger-than-life ego and past as a shaman make Player 044 come off as arrogant and selfish, getting under just about everyone's skin.
    EW.com, EW.com, 4 July 2025
Adjective
  • Despite the setback in Denver, the couple has been busy in the meantime.
    Max Scheinblum, Denver Post, 28 June 2025
  • As Lauryn was busy working at her warehouse alongside sister Jessica Shannon and her friend Paisley, June stopped by to inform them of her big plan.
    Dory Jackson, People.com, 28 June 2025
Adjective
  • Managers saw themselves as solving the equivalent of familiar jigsaw puzzles.
    Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 6 July 2025
  • The whole first half of the season saw Hamilton struggle to adapt to the Italian race car, and Silverstone was another chapter in a familiar story.
    Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 July 2025
Adjective
  • There’s something officious about Alden Ehrenreich.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 Jan. 2023
  • Her charming luxury treasure trove has none of that officious chilliness that defines the typical store of its ilk but instead feels like a brocanterie crammed with interesting, unexpected luxury goods from across the world.
    Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 2 Jan. 2023
Adjective
  • In Superman, Bennett steps into the shoes of Steve Lombard, the Daily Planet's smug sports reporter.
    EW.com, EW.com, 28 June 2025
  • One of Ferrell’s biggest and best movies was this hilarious racing spoof, which followed the rise and fall and rise of a smug champion racer, his complicated friendship with best pal and fellow racer John C. Reilly, and his rivalry with an effete, snotty Frenchman played by Sacha Baron Cohen.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 27 June 2025
Adjective
  • Our more than 18,000 Bombardier employees are proud to welcome this new, important customer to our family.
    Doug Gollan, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
  • But despite everything, we were driven by passion and the desire to achieve results, and many Italians who lived there as immigrants were proud of us.
    James Horncastle, New York Times, 30 June 2025
Adjective
  • Flying drones may avoid some problems navigating terrestrial obstacles and potentially be less intrusive and faster.
    Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 July 2025
  • Our declaration of revolt against kings and intrusive parliaments was possible because of the theoretical framework provided by Enlightenment thinkers such as John Locke, Thomas Hobbes and others.
    Rafael Perez, Oc Register, 4 July 2025
Adjective
  • The visitors who receive cold stares are usually those who flout local practices – such as speaking loudly in a country that values peace and quiet or wearing inappropriate or immodest clothing in a more traditional setting. Make a personal connection.
    Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 8 July 2025
  • After Mahmoud, however, all of these parents now have a right to advance notice. Schools that fail to predict that a lesson about a Jewish woman with a career, a Hindu husband, or an immodest wardrobe will offend a parent’s religious belief will now face very serious financial consequences.
    Ian Millhiser, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018

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Cite this Entry

“Presumptuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/presumptuous. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.

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