arrogant

adjective

ar·​ro·​gant ˈer-ə-gənt 

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

Synonyms

• cocky
• pompous
• superior
• important
• supercilious
• haughty
• smug
• bumptious
• high-and-mighty
• pretentious
• uppity
• authoritarian
• presumptuous
• assumptive

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

As the day goes on, Jim goes from a caricature of an arrogant male director to an oddly compelling picture of a pathetic man, moved by spite toward his ex-wife, Anita. —Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 10 July 2025

Actor Tyler Hilton played Chris Keller, a charming but arrogant musician, on four seasons of the teen soap. —Bryan West, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025

First appearing in Street Fighter Alpha in 1995, Hibiki is consistently portrayed as an overconfident, arrogant and utterly feeble character. —Justin Kroll, Deadline, 26 June 2025

Who would kill this gentle, if admittedly arrogant, artistic whirlwind? —Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 8 June 2025

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

Kids Definition

arrogant

adjective

ar·​ro·​gant ˈar-ə-gənt 

1

: overly proud of oneself or one's own opinions

2

: marked by arrogance

arrogant remarks

arrogantly adverb