arrogance

noun

ar·​ro·​gance ˈer-ə-gən(t)s 

ˈa-rə-

: an attitude of superiority manifested in an overbearing manner or in presumptuous claims or assumptions

Synonyms

• assumption
• bumptiousness
• consequence
• haughtiness
• hauteur
• high horse
• huffiness
• imperiousness
• loftiness
• lordliness
• masterfulness
• peremptoriness
• pomposity
• pompousness
• presumptuousness
• pretense
• pretence
• pretension
• pretentiousness
• self-consequence
• self-importance
• superciliousness
• superiority
• toploftiness

Examples of arrogance in a Sentence

He was like a movie star at his high school reunion, muting his arrogance and trying to be a regular guy for old times' sake. He seemed to genuinely appreciate the honor. —Carlo Rotella, New York Times Sports Magazine, June 2008

This kind of official arrogance is not new, of course, although it is perhaps more common in dictatorships than in democracies. —Ian Buruma, New York Times Book Review, 17 Sept. 2006

Arrogance is, at once, what an athlete most needs and what fans least want to see. —Dan Le Batard, ESPN, 15 Mar. 2004

A British expat who could have stepped out of a Graham Greene plot, Twyman makes an improbable Jamaican hero. His self-assurance borders on arrogance, particularly when something is not done precisely the way he would do it himself. —Barry Estabrook, Gourmet, July 2003

Her arrogance has earned her a lot of enemies.

We were shocked by the arrogance of his comments.

Recent Examples on the Web

Ultimately, however, in speaking to various fans and insiders of all stripes, Disney’s decline can be boiled down to one crucial factor: arrogance. —Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2024

In one company culture, people regularly reference the idea of a spouting whales that get harpooned—reinforcing the value placed humility and the avoidance of arrogance. —Tracy Brower, Forbes, 22 Sep. 2024

Onstage Gadd talked about being at his absolute lowest point in life a mere decade ago — a note not of arrogance, but of encouragement to anyone watching who happened to be going through a hard time. —Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2024

His students still have time to age out of such arrogance, the film implies. —Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English arrogaunce, errogaunce, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French arrogance, arrogaunce, borrowed from Latin arrogantia, noun derivative of arrogant-, arrogans "insolent, overbearing, arrogant"

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

arrogance

noun

ar·​ro·​gance ˈar-ə-gən(t)s 

: a sense of one's own importance that shows itself in a proud and insulting way