overweening
adjective
S. L. Price
Did you know?
“The overweening conceit which the greater part of men have of their own abilities is an ancient evil remarked by the philosophers and moralists of all ages.” So wrote the Scottish philosopher Adam Smith in The Wealth of Nations. But while overweening conceit might be an age-old evil, the word overweening is of 14th century vintage. It developed from a form of the Middle English verb overwenen, meaning “to be arrogant.” That term built on wenen, meaning “to think” or “to suppose.” Today, the adjective overweening is the most widely used of the wenen descendants, but historical texts also occasionally include the verb overween, meaning “to think too highly of one’s own opinion.” It was also possible at one time to ween just enough, without overdoing it. All things in moderation—even self-esteem—after all.
Examples of overweening in a Sentence
Larissa MacFarquhar, New Yorker, 27 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for overweening
Cite this Entry
“Overweening.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overweening. Accessed 17 Dec. 2025.
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overweening
adjective
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