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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 supercilious
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
Still, in many voters’ minds, the association between Democrats and supercilious scolding seems hard to shake.
—Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2024
Even Lu, most closed and supercilious of the bunch, has weird, troubled reservoirs of shame that gradually start to froth and bubble.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2024
Though emerging out of segregation, Black Greek-letter organizations, too, had supercilious standards for their members and rules about who could join.
—Jazmine Hughes, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024
The former focuses on man and nature (namely Navajos and Churro sheep); the latter, an ontological turn from Diné materiality toward Western enlightenment’s supercilious man-versus-nature divide.
—Petala Ironcloud, ARTnews.com, 9 Oct. 2024
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
Still, in many voters’ minds, the association between Democrats and supercilious scolding seems hard to shake.
—Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2024
Even Lu, most closed and supercilious of the bunch, has weird, troubled reservoirs of shame that gradually start to froth and bubble.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2024
Though emerging out of segregation, Black Greek-letter organizations, too, had supercilious standards for their members and rules about who could join.
—Jazmine Hughes, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024
The former focuses on man and nature (namely Navajos and Churro sheep); the latter, an ontological turn from Diné materiality toward Western enlightenment’s supercilious man-versus-nature divide.
—Petala Ironcloud, ARTnews.com, 9 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for supercilious
Adjective
-
Depicting Americans as arrogant, loud, boorish and demeaning of other cultures, the term has stuck and is still mentioned 60-plus years later.—
Jenny Peters,
Oc Register,
4 Aug. 2025
-
The most radical overhaul of the tax code in our state’s history would require voter approval in November 2026, and that starts by portraying local governments as cartoonishly arrogant, bloated and unaccountable.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 July 2025
Adjective
-
Brands that create fabulous-looking but pompous and pretentious campaigns just feel inauthentic.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
31 July 2025
-
Louis Partridge will take on Mr Darcy’s nemesis, Mr Wickham with Jamie Demetriou turning his hand to the pompous Mr Collins and Fiona Shaw as the fearsome Lady Catherine de Bourg.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
29 July 2025
Adjective
-
Though Dirty Dom’s in-ring debut began in 2020, the pretentious son of Rey Mysterio Jr. inherited his slick ways from iconic WWE superstar Eddie Guerrero.—
Carl Lamarre,
Billboard,
7 Aug. 2025
-
Brands that create fabulous-looking but pompous and pretentious campaigns just feel inauthentic.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
31 July 2025
Adjective
-
Named after Olympic gold medalist Cheng Fei (CHN), the vault’s superior difficulty value puts Roberson at a significant advantage.—
Caroline Price,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
-
If a passenger with a seat reservation is moved and can’t get a seat in the same or superior seat reservation category, the passenger can get the seat reservation fee refunded through greyhound.com/help-and-info.—
Cheryl V. Jackson,
IndyStar,
5 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Supercilious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/supercilious. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share