presumptuous

adjective

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pre·sump·tu·ous | \ pri-ˈzəm(p)-chə-wəs

, -chəs, -shəs \

Definition of presumptuous

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

Other Words from presumptuous Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about presumptuous

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Synonyms & Antonyms for presumptuous

Synonyms

Antonyms

modest,
unassuming

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 on the Web In the hands of someone less subtle and humane, Ms. Hakakian’s exercise could be seen as presumptuous. — Tunku Varadarajan, WSJ, "‘A Beginner’s Guide to America’ Review: Welcome to a New World," 26 Feb. 2021 First, there's a conservatism that dismisses any kind of support for families as presumptuous right-wing social engineering, an attempt to bribe people into changing their personal preferences and intimate decisions. — Ross Douthat, Star Tribune, "Why the U.S. needs Mitt Romney's proposed reform for family benefits," 8 Feb. 2021 There’s the phrase itself, both presumptuous and menacing. — Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, "The Great Reset: If Only It Were Just a Conspiracy," 27 Nov. 2020 The dream of opportunity and safety was forgivable, but the deception wasn’t; or the ranking of races was correct, but the self-bettering impulse was presumptuous. — Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, "Danielle Evans’s Sublime Short Stories of Race, Grief, and Belonging," 21 Nov. 2020 This does not make their behavior less rude, presumptuous or patronizing. — Washington Post, "Miss Manners: Male friends keep taking over my grill," 18 Nov. 2020 The ad’s title America Assembled is actually a presumptuous lie. — Armond White, National Review, "America Assembled Epitomizes Hollywood Political Junk," 11 Nov. 2020 First, setting up a team solely to beat the Lakers in an NBA Finals rematch is a bit presumptuous. — Ira Winderman, sun-sentinel.com, "ASK IRA: Is there value in Heat thinking big in NBA Draft?," 10 Nov. 2020 Washington calling itself Football Team is presumptuous. — Nick Canepa Columnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Column: Baseball needs to change what it has become, continental drift slow," 17 Oct. 2020

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.