overconfidence

noun

Definition of overconfidencenext
as in arrogance

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 overconfidence In 2009, five members of Young The Giant named their band in honor of their own youth, naivety and potential overconfidence. — Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 31 July 2026 But not for the first time, Putin’s complacency led to overconfidence. — Alexander Gabuev, Foreign Affairs, 31 July 2026 Success breeds overconfidence; overconfidence hardens into presumption; and presumption eventually obscures the actual source of momentum. — Clifford Hudson, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026 Stubbornness and overconfidence extend beyond simple generational mindsets. — Byron Hurd, The Drive, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for overconfidence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overconfidence
  1. arrogance
  2. cockiness
  3. self-confidence
  4. confidence
  5. self-assurance
  6. assurance
  7. presumption
Noun
  • What might seem arrogance in others feels merely reasonable coming from her.
    — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • But while that might suggest arrogance, Dawson’s answer to another question reflects humility.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of arrogance
Noun
  • The rookie quarterback understands there's a clear distinction, though, between poise and cockiness.
    — CBS New York Team, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • But he has been accused of inflating his role in some projects and demonstrating a self-confidence that borders on cockiness.
    — Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of cockiness
Noun
  • But taking charge can cause kids to shut down and hurt their self-confidence.
    — Juli Fraga, CNBC, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Her experience at the club is helping boost her self-confidence, Sharaya said.
    — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of self-confidence
Noun
  • Jonesboro is 2-0 for the first time since 2019 and should have four quarters of confidence after back-to-back one-score wins.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Sep. 2026
  • To reach the quarterfinals in New York, Zheng had to accept her newfound station in tennis — not to abandon her confidence for the sake of humility, but to combine her natural self-belief with acceptance of her reality and a new perspective.
    — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of confidence
Noun
  • The 25-year-old from California opened the final with some swagger, popping four aces in the first game, but his self-assurance quickly ebbed.
    — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The most consistent signature across her growing catalogue is her self-assurance as a performer.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of self-assurance
Noun
  • The optimizers have all the money; the empaths only really have one another—and the assurance, however fleeting, that there are more of us than there are of them.
    — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The Membership programme, launched in 2025, offers multiple tiers designed to support different levels of assurance, insight and control.
    — SJ Studio, Footwear News, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of assurance
Noun
  • Clancy was tried in a Massachusetts court of law, one of the few venues where defendants such as Clancy enjoy the presumption of proof for pleas of insanity, once they are allowed to make such a plea.
    — Richard E. Vatz, Baltimore Sun, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Without the presumption, service members would need to undergo the process of proving their service caused their condition.
    — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of presumption

Browse Nearby Words

overcomplicated
overconfidence
overconfident
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Overconfidence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overconfidence. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of empirical

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All