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
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Recent Examples of arrogant
The history of classic Athens shows us that a Democracy can misuse its power, become arrogant and become a tyrant.
—
Letters To The Editor, Hartford Courant, 25 Feb. 2026
Maekar refuses, earning a cutting rebuttal from Dunk about the royal upbringing that turned Daeron (Henry Ashton) into a drunken coward and Aerion into an arrogant and cruel madman.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 23 Feb. 2026
And ironically, the most arrogant ones are the worst ones.
—Outside Online, 11 Feb. 2026
But there’s a throughline in Smith’s most popular works — he’s been cast repeatedly as a villain, and usually an arrogant or smug one.
—Sophia Solano, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for arrogant
Letters To The Editor, Hartford Courant, 25 Feb. 2026
Maekar refuses, earning a cutting rebuttal from Dunk about the royal upbringing that turned Daeron (Henry Ashton) into a drunken coward and Aerion into an arrogant and cruel madman.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 23 Feb. 2026
And ironically, the most arrogant ones are the worst ones.
—Outside Online, 11 Feb. 2026
But there’s a throughline in Smith’s most popular works — he’s been cast repeatedly as a villain, and usually an arrogant or smug one.
—Sophia Solano, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for arrogant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arrogant
Adjective
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The final movement starts off with a timpani riff, which triggers a cocky dance that invokes Peterson’s high-speed fingers, shooting off at Road Runner pace.—
Justin Davidson,
Vulture,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Bassel stands at the center of the frame, looking cocky and slightly bored, with his parents seated in front of him and his siblings on either side.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
And the less said of the poorly mixed, pompous Machina, the better.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
3 Mar. 2026
-
The pompous clergyman enters the life of the Bennet family, his distant cousins, with the assumption that, given his respectable position and benefactor, Lady Catherine De Bourgh, one of those daughters would be happy to marry him.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The bottom line Fast and slow running each offer unique benefits, and one isn’t inherently superior to the other.—
Jenny McCoy,
SELF,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Tiny Goliath Trounces an Even Tinier David<\/h2>
While the iPad will continue to help the average user get by with paying the bills or writing their next breakout sci-fi novel, while maybe even tweaking some family photos, the MacBook Neo’s superior processor does it all better.
—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
One of the more important revelations from Netanyahu’s press conference was about how the joint strikes with the United States, known as Operation Epic Fury, have been extremely effective at decimating Iran’s weapons.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Mar. 2026
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But, really, these are the times when that stuff is most important.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
As Wilson, Jenny Ashman is suitably snide and supercilious, a great comic villain.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
29 Jan. 2026
-
And now the supercilious Ivy League twits try to dodge the consequences of their woke follies.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
24 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
In character as a free spirit who scorns social convention, Davis is all haughty tosses of the head and sneering lines.—
Darren Franich,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Stella crossed the street and loitered outside the store window displaying haughty mannequins flaunting swagger coats.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Over Your Dead Body is not for the faint of heart, but give or take a rape threat that crosses the line into smug sadism without quite seeming to realize it, the violence lands as more comically cartoonish than horrific.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Mar. 2026
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The ceremony has remained a smug political distraction ever since.—
Angelica Jade Bastién,
Vulture,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
And it’s been a very bumptious relationship ever since.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
4 Feb. 2026
-
In public, Newsom speaks often and openly about his errors, fortifying his image as a bumptious, slightly hapless victim of his own enthusiasms.—
Nathan Heller,
New Yorker,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Arrogant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arrogant. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
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