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
This splendid, wry satire is about a wealthy family, self-important and confident in their morality, whose blithe and bumptious existences are thrown into disarray when their father clandestinely decides to give all their money to charity, and so (in their opinions) completely destroys their lives.
—
Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 July 2025
As Peggy Dodd, consigliere to her bumptious 1950s cult-leader husband, Adams tends to wear a soft smile and blouses buttoned to the neck — a picture-perfect model of mid-century femininity.
—Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 6 Dec. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for bumptious
Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 July 2025
As Peggy Dodd, consigliere to her bumptious 1950s cult-leader husband, Adams tends to wear a soft smile and blouses buttoned to the neck — a picture-perfect model of mid-century femininity.
—Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 6 Dec. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for bumptious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bumptious
arrogant
Adjective
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This is an organization that can be frustratingly set in its ways and arrogant in its belief that there’s no better way.—
Jeff Zrebiec,
New York Times,
10 Mar. 2026
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Planning for more than 11 contests out of Dobbins, something only produced twice over his first six NFL seasons, isn’t just arrogant.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bumptious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bumptious. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
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