as in arrogant
having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude
a bumptious young man whose family wealth gave him a sense of entitlement
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Recent Examples of bumptious
It’s all spanked along by one of those golly-gee bumptious holiday musical scores.
—
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 27 Nov. 2024
The ländler dance in the second was robust and bumptious, with an undercurrent of darkness, and there was just the right amount of winking in the trio; the whole thing was a country fair picaresque.
—Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2024
Which is not to imply that the six-year-old, with quite a bumptious career behind him, is of Secretariat's muster.
—Guy Martin, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
Although not always directly correlated with being bumptious and arrogant, performing at a higher standard than others, and having something to show for it, will always garner attention.
—Clare French, Hartford Courant, 16 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for bumptious
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 27 Nov. 2024
The ländler dance in the second was robust and bumptious, with an undercurrent of darkness, and there was just the right amount of winking in the trio; the whole thing was a country fair picaresque.
—Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2024
Which is not to imply that the six-year-old, with quite a bumptious career behind him, is of Secretariat's muster.
—Guy Martin, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
Although not always directly correlated with being bumptious and arrogant, performing at a higher standard than others, and having something to show for it, will always garner attention.
—Clare French, Hartford Courant, 16 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for bumptious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bumptious
arrogant
Adjective
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This version of Ryan was arrogant, unable to conceal pride in his accomplishment.—
Jamie Thompson,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
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So long as that situation continues, the 43-year-old’s allegedly arrogant and stand-offish treatment of his players will not worry the club hierarchy too much.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bumptious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bumptious. Accessed 7 Dec. 2025.
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