1
as in smug
having too high an opinion of oneself
a director who has little patience for overweening actors who think they are above taking advice and criticism
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in excessive
going beyond a normal or acceptable limit in degree or amount
overweening desire for wealth and fame
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in arrogant
having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude
an overweening administrator who simply doesn't know how to manage people
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in inflated
extended beyond normal or realistic bounds
an overweening national pride that prompted its citizens to denigrate other countries
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 overweening
The doctrine itself has had all manner of ill effects on the capacity of employers to apply race-neutral or gender-neutral standards of qualification and fitness, and replaced the concept of an equal opportunity employer with the overweening human resources departments that gave us DEI.
—
The Editors, National Review, 25 Apr. 2025
The overweening, violent farmer Xan Xanta and his mentally disabled younger brother Loren wanted to sell their land.
—Bartolomeo Sala, The Dial, 27 Mar. 2025
But there’s something dingy and gross, like mottled drifts of old snow, about the overweening influence of Trump’s courtiers and their grubbing relationship with a president so obviously enamored of money and flattery.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2025
To deny Moscow such a dominant position was the overweening objective of all administrations, Democratic or Republican, since World War II.
—Josef Joffe, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2016
See All Example Sentences for overweening
The Editors, National Review, 25 Apr. 2025
The overweening, violent farmer Xan Xanta and his mentally disabled younger brother Loren wanted to sell their land.
—Bartolomeo Sala, The Dial, 27 Mar. 2025
But there’s something dingy and gross, like mottled drifts of old snow, about the overweening influence of Trump’s courtiers and their grubbing relationship with a president so obviously enamored of money and flattery.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2025
To deny Moscow such a dominant position was the overweening objective of all administrations, Democratic or Republican, since World War II.
—Josef Joffe, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2016
See All Example Sentences for overweening
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overweening
Adjective
-
As a sleazy, lecherous publicist pinned in a Manhattan phone booth by a faceless sniper on the other end of the line, Farrell goes from smug condescension to breathless victimhood pretty effortlessly.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025
-
But Minnesota, with or without its unapologetically smug superstar, has been the Nuggets’ kryptonite for more than a year.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
There was excessive growth of microtubules that wasn’t caused by an increase in gene activity, but likely due to the cells failing to clear away old or misfolded proteins.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
8 Nov. 2025
-
But Walpole’s excitement was curbed when they were flagged for excessive celebration.—
Justin Barrasso,
Boston Herald,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
This version of Ryan was arrogant, unable to conceal pride in his accomplishment.—
Jamie Thompson,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
-
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
Adjective
-
Firms that had stayed disciplined during the post-pandemic liquidity rush — holding back from inflated valuations and cheap leverage — are the ones outperforming, according to Bae.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Stocks fell Tuesday after Wall Street sounded the alarm about a market selloff amid growing concerns over inflated tech valuations.—
Tasneem Nashrulla,
semafor.com,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
There are certainly some top-notch barbecue restaurants that made the cut, but the Michelin selection barely scratches the surface of the South’s long, proud barbecue tradition.—
Robert F. Moss,
Southern Living,
5 Nov. 2025
-
What’s left now is a proud elite program trying to scrape its way into bowl season.—
D’Joumbarey Moreau,
Miami Herald,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The research team claims that their strategy offers a novel approach to developing high-performance cathodes capable of operating under extreme temperatures.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Nov. 2025
-
The scale runs from G1, minor, to G5, extreme.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
And when daily wear and tear was simulated – through continuous electric-toothbrush abrasion equivalent to about a year of brushing, as well as chewing and grinding – the teeth actually had superior resistance to wear, fracture and acid attack compared with natural enamel.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Instead of settling for 3-pointers, Boozer took the ball hard to the basket in the second half while a Duke team with obviously superior talent to Texas got untracked.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
An investigation by the United Kingdom’s Information Commissioner found that the company’s claims about its predictive model were exaggerated and ineffective, according to The Associated Press.—
David Smiley,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Plus, the boot – which comes in DM’s Yellow, Black, and DM’s Olive colorways – use the brand’s Ben sole with an exaggerated tread which is paired with a SoftWair insole.—
Stephen Garner,
Footwear News,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overweening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overweening. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share