as in arrogant
having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude
the supercilious art dealer rolled her eyes when we asked if she had anything for under $1,000
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Recent Examples of supercilious
Characters are skewed not to create an evenhanded debate but to sensationalize one, with a young fact-minded novice looking to follow the rules is blindsided by a supercilious writer not willing to bend his vision to the needs of editors, fact checkers or even printers or distributors.
—
Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 21 Apr. 2026
And now the supercilious Ivy League twits try to dodge the consequences of their woke follies.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 24 Dec. 2025
Klára works at a grocery store formerly owned by the family of her colleague Elza (Hermina Fátyol) but now taken over by a supercilious Stalinist (Konrád Quintus) who doesn’t bother hiding his disdain for the two Jewish women.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2025
The plot revolves around the attempts of various parties to get a hold of a Lakota ghost shirt that has come into the possession of a supercilious business tycoon and acquirer of rare artifacts, Pendleton Duvall (Toby Huss).
—Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2025
Economics, that supercilious, take-me-seriously profession?
—Brian Domitrovic, Forbes.com, 19 July 2025
The show perpetuates corporate media’s retaliation against those who oppose its leftist, Marxist, Communist, socialist agenda — the ideological myth favored by superficial and supercilious showbiz types ever since All the President’s Men and Network.
—Armond White, National Review, 30 Apr. 2025
Arthur is … a lot too, but with a supercilious edge?
—Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2025
Not that Allen wasn’t above poking fun at a friend: In many of their films together, Allen presented Roberts as so cool-headed as to verge on the comically supercilious.
—Peter Tonguette, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 21 Feb. 2025
Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 21 Apr. 2026
And now the supercilious Ivy League twits try to dodge the consequences of their woke follies.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 24 Dec. 2025
Klára works at a grocery store formerly owned by the family of her colleague Elza (Hermina Fátyol) but now taken over by a supercilious Stalinist (Konrád Quintus) who doesn’t bother hiding his disdain for the two Jewish women.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2025
The plot revolves around the attempts of various parties to get a hold of a Lakota ghost shirt that has come into the possession of a supercilious business tycoon and acquirer of rare artifacts, Pendleton Duvall (Toby Huss).
—Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2025
Economics, that supercilious, take-me-seriously profession?
—Brian Domitrovic, Forbes.com, 19 July 2025
The show perpetuates corporate media’s retaliation against those who oppose its leftist, Marxist, Communist, socialist agenda — the ideological myth favored by superficial and supercilious showbiz types ever since All the President’s Men and Network.
—Armond White, National Review, 30 Apr. 2025
Arthur is … a lot too, but with a supercilious edge?
—Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2025
Not that Allen wasn’t above poking fun at a friend: In many of their films together, Allen presented Roberts as so cool-headed as to verge on the comically supercilious.
—Peter Tonguette, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 21 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for supercilious
Adjective
-
The series has devolved into a hysteria that the young and arrogant Timberwolves feed on since that first quarter of Game 2.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
26 Apr. 2026
-
However, many thought Tilson Thomas too brash and arrogant to lead an orchestra, and, around the same time, Tilson Thomas fell in with New York’s disco-hopping crowd.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 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
-
Drenched in designer labels and working at the house of Christian Dior, Blunt’s Emily has become the pretentious partner of a billionaire tech mogul played by Justin Theroux, sources said.—
Matt Donnelly,
Variety,
23 Apr. 2026
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Miss Manners is exasperated when people consider etiquette pretentious for supplying the necessary tools to get food to mouth.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Nolah Evolution Comfort+ is your solution, as its superior foam, edge support and pressure relief are designed for heavier sleepers.—
Alora Bopray,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
-
John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan know that having two solid contributors on cheap deals is vastly superior to having one overpriced guy who is statistically no better than the field.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Supercilious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/supercilious. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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