presumptuous

play

adjective pre·sump·tu·ous \ pri-ˈzəm(p)-chə-wəs , -chəs , -shəs \

Definition of presumptuous

:overstepping due bounds (as of propriety or courtesy) :taking liberties

—

presumptuously

adverb

—

presumptuousness

noun

See presumptuous defined for English-language learners

See presumptuous defined for kids

Examples of presumptuous in a Sentence

To Yale University, he was David Sneed. And some people called him that. Close friends called him Marc. Not wanting to appear presumptuous, I tried not to commit to either, waiting instead for a signal. —Peter Beinart, New Republic, 22 Jan. 1996
Professor Stegner mistook me, I fear, for an anti-intellectual, not understanding that I was in fact something far less presumptuous—a near-illiterate, especially compared to the rest of his blue-chip roster. —Ken Kesey, New York Times Book Review, 31 Dec. 1989
To spy out the shape of God's Heaven was superfluous, presumptuous, and might prove blasphemous. Galileo was no better than a theological Peeping Tom. —Daniel J. Boorstin, The Discoverers, 1983
it's a little presumptuous of you to assume that I'm your new best friend just because I invited you along
the presumptuous doctor didn't even bother to explain to me the treatment that I would be receiving

Recent Examples of presumptuous from the Web

Chloe and Heidi brought up at the same time, 'Wow that's presumptuous.

— mark shrayber, Cosmopolitan, "Spencer Pratt Recaps Siesta Key and Thinks LC Should Have Been More Like Chloe," 15 Aug. 2017
Last week, Kendall and Kylie Jenner made the shamelessly presumptuous call to superimpose their faces on T-shirts featuring a few musical legends—including Biggie and Tupac.

— christine flammia, Esquire, "Arcade Fire Just Put Those Kendall and Kylie Jenner T-Shirts Everyone Hated on Blast," 5 July 2017
Unfortunately, this doesn't stop strangers from making presumptuous comments.

— marci robin, Good Housekeeping, "Little Girl's Rare Disorder Makes Her Hair Completely Uncontrollable," 29 June 2017
The disgusted strangers, for example, could be indicting themselves as ignorant or presumptuous rather than indicting you as deficient.

— carolyn hax, Philly.com, "The strain of overinvesting in a mother role," 25 June 2017
The disgusted strangers, for example, could be indicting themselves as ignorant or presumptuous vs. indicting you as deficient.

— carolyn hax, The Seattle Times, "What is ‘bad mom’ narrative really about?," 25 June 2017
The disgusted strangers, for example, could be indicting themselves as ignorant or presumptuous vs. indicting you as deficient.

— carolyn hax, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Don't take sister's choice as verdict on your mothering skills," 24 June 2017
Even the name of Clinton’s PAC has a presumptuous ring to it.

— t.a. frank, The Hive, "Can Hillary Clinton Please Go Quietly into the Night?," 9 June 2017
That's a bit presumptuous, of course, but there are no signs Boston can contain the indomitable James, who in his 14th season may be playing better than at any time in his life.

— tom withers, courant.com, "LeBron, Cavs Cream Celtics; Injury Ends Isaiah Thomas' Seaon," 20 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'presumptuous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.