overbearing

adjective

over·​bear·​ing ˌō-vər-ˈber-iŋ 

1

a

: tending to overwhelm : overpowering

They [teachers] say they're frequently harassed by overbearing parents, who call them all hours of the day and weekends …

—Jean Mackenzie

b

: decisively important : dominant

… didn't think it was the overbearing consideration here.

—J. S. Cooper

2

: harshly and haughtily arrogant

the mayor's overbearing manner of dealing with employees

overbearingly

ˌō-vər-ˈber-iŋ-lē 

adverb

Synonyms of overbearing

• dominant
• main
• greatest
• predominant
• highest
• primary
• foremost
• big
• leading
• first
• supreme
• central
• principal

Choose the Right Synonym for overbearing

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 overbearing in a Sentence

He had to deal with his overbearing mother.

Her husband's overbearing manner made her miserable.

Recent Examples on the Web

Mosleh plays Parmiss Mansour, the grad student who falls for Nava (Amanda Wear) and dealing with coming out, including to her overbearing traditional Muslim family. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 27 July 2026

The overbearing online explainers and the off-the-cuff fuzz-rockers and the nine-and-counting films and the self-effacing but also self-aggrandizing mockumentary spin out from the same very modern feeling that to be is to respond and react. — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 24 July 2026

On the dark side, Jupiter can also inflate, and Leo’s natural appetite for praise can easily turn into entitlement, or an overbearing need for validation. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 20 July 2026

Lestat walks us through his reawakening in yet another moment where the show chooses to tell rather than show, culminating in a confrontation with Gabriella, positioned here as the overbearing stage mother to Lestat’s petulant toddler in a tiara. — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 20 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1614, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for overbearing

• airing
• bearing
• blaring
• caring
• chairing
• charing
• daring
• erring
• fairing
• flaring
• glaring
• haring

Kids Definition

overbearing

adjective

over·​bear·​ing

-ˈba(ə)r-iŋ, 

-ˈbe(ə)r-

: arrogant, domineering

overbearingly adverb