Definition of arrogantnext
as in cocky
having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude 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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective arrogant differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of arrogant are disdainful, haughty, insolent, lordly, overbearing, proud, and supercilious. While all these words mean "showing scorn for inferiors," arrogant implies a claiming for oneself of more consideration or importance than is warranted.

a conceited and arrogant executive

When is disdainful a more appropriate choice than arrogant?

The synonyms disdainful and arrogant are sometimes interchangeable, but disdainful suggests a more active and openly scornful superciliousness.

disdainful of their social inferiors

When would haughty be a good substitute for arrogant?

The words haughty and arrogant are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, haughty suggests a consciousness of superior birth or position.

a haughty aristocrat

When might insolent be a better fit than arrogant?

The words insolent and arrogant can be used in similar contexts, but insolent implies contemptuous haughtiness.

ignored by an insolent waiter

When could lordly be used to replace arrogant?

The meanings of lordly and arrogant largely overlap; however, lordly implies pomposity or an arrogant display of power.

a lordly condescension

Where would overbearing be a reasonable alternative to arrogant?

While the synonyms overbearing and arrogant are close in meaning, overbearing suggests a tyrannical manner or an intolerable insolence.

an overbearing supervisor

When can proud be used instead of arrogant?

In some situations, the words proud and arrogant are roughly equivalent. However, proud may suggest an assumed superiority or loftiness.

too proud to take charity

When is it sensible to use supercilious instead of arrogant?

While in some cases nearly identical to arrogant, supercilious implies a cool, patronizing haughtiness.

an aloof and supercilious manner

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of arrogant The daughter—crying, arrogant, broken, unrelenting—was me. Literary Hub, 15 Dec. 2025 The story focuses on Belle, a young woman agreeing to live with an arrogant prince who has been transformed into a monster and has a limited time to earn the true love that will break his spell. Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 15 Dec. 2025 In the 1988 film, Scrooge is represented by Frank Cross (Murray), a high-strung, selfish and arrogant TV executive living in Manhattan. Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 11 Dec. 2025 In any other industry, a leader who has a dominant presence, and comes across confident — and maybe aggressive or arrogant — is seen as an asset. Miami Herald, 10 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for arrogant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arrogant
Adjective
  • Figure skater Adriana Russo (Madelyn Keys) begins training for the world championships and falls for her new partner, a cocky but talented skater named Brayden Elliot (Cale Ambrozic).
    Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 8 Jan. 2026
  • Marty Supreme follows a wildly gifted, unapologetically cocky aspiring table tennis superstar named Marty Mauser (Chalamet), grinding it in Lower Manhattan circa 1952.
    David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • Jeffrey Tambor Known for playing the pompous, self-important mayor of Whoville, Jeffery Tambor also has an esteemed career across television and film.
    Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
  • Among the latter is ravenous beaver Nibbles Maplestick (Fortune Feimster, hilarious), who turns out to be a key ally, and pompous new mayor Brian Winddancer (Patrick Warburton), a stallion who used to be an actor.
    Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 25 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • However, there's no strong evidence suggesting that strength-training in a fasted state is superior to training in a fed state for muscle growth or performance.
    Jillian Kubala, Health, 8 Jan. 2026
  • Neither assurance of German manufacture nor of superior sound quality sufficed to get the bills back into the salesman’s palm.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • The new California law or Assembly Bill 1830 requires most tortillas and corn masa products sold to contain folic acid, a vitamin important to infant health, according to CalMatters.
    Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado January 12, Sacbee.com, 12 Jan. 2026
  • Not only is the actual lighting itself important for completing tasks and creating ambiance, but the fixtures also double as decor.
    Brittney Morgan, Travel + Leisure, 12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • And now the supercilious Ivy League twits try to dodge the consequences of their woke follies.
    Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 24 Dec. 2025
  • Klára works at a grocery store formerly owned by the family of her colleague Elza (Hermina Fátyol) but now taken over by a supercilious Stalinist (Konrád Quintus) who doesn’t bother hiding his disdain for the two Jewish women.
    David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Wiig says, referring to the classic TV sitcom of the 1960s and ‘70s that starred Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha, a witch who marries a mortal man, Darrin, much to her haughty mother, Endora’s, chagrin.
    Rosemary Rossi, Variety, 18 Dec. 2025
  • Indeed, these tales characterize Jesus as a rather haughty boy, conscious of his divinity and not happy with those who treat him as a mere child.
    Mary Dzon, The Conversation, 12 Dec. 2025
Adjective
  • But that poem is no smug cliché.
    Judy Berman, Time, 8 Jan. 2026
  • Marcello is looking especially smug and evil in this scene for reasons unclear.
    Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
Adjective
  • The day after Politico reported that Scott Bessent had threatened to punch a bumptious housing official in the face, the secretary of the Treasury addressed Republican luminaries gathered to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Laffer curve under the big chandelier in his department’s Cash Room.
    Ben Smith, semafor.com, 8 Dec. 2025
  • Like the opera, the film blends these disparate moods and tones at a whirlwind tempo: slapstick comedy and poignant melodrama, graceful lyricism and bumptious braggadocio, witty satire and bitter tragedy.
    Richard Brody, New Yorker, 30 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Arrogant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arrogant. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.

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