overconfident

adjective

over·​con·​fi·​dent ˌō-vər-ˈkän-fə-dənt How to pronounce overconfident (audio)
-ˌdent
: excessively or unjustifiably confident : having too much confidence (as in one's abilities or judgment)
an overconfident driver
wasn't overconfident about their chances of winning
… he often starts cold, missing a few shots, allowing his opponent to get on a roll, to get overconfident.Brett Forrest
overconfidently adverb
overconfidently predicted the team would win

Examples of overconfident in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Wednesday’s announcement came on the heels of a massive profile of Licht in The Atlantic, which portrayed him as overconfident but incapable of leading the network. Tori Otten, The New Republic, 7 June 2023 Every team around the league is aware of how those games can become a trap for an overconfident group that tries to downplay the competition. Shane Young, Forbes, 21 Apr. 2023 In periods of growth, the errors made by overconfident CEOs are often buffered by the upswing of the economic cycle. Grace Lordan, Fortune, 15 Feb. 2023 Clearly, in Suetonius’ view, Nero’s overconfident estimation of his own artistic talents lasted until the very end. Mary Beard, The New Yorker, 26 June 2023 He has been described by past passengers as both a meticulous planner and an overconfident pioneer. Ben Finley and Holly Ramer, Anchorage Daily News, 24 June 2023 This year, officials are warning everyone to take heed, especially those who have safely dipped in a river during normal years and may feel overconfident. Jill Cowan, BostonGlobe.com, 18 June 2023 However, younger people can sometimes be overconfident and ignore those risks. Kunyi Yang, CNN, 20 June 2022 The man’s an oblivious, ignorant, overconfident blowhard. Charles C. W. Cooke, National Review, 2 Mar. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'overconfident.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1617, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of overconfident was circa 1617

Dictionary Entries Near overconfident

Cite this Entry

“Overconfident.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overconfident. Accessed 26 Sep. 2023.

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