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
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
Still, in many voters’ minds, the association between Democrats and supercilious scolding seems hard to shake.
—Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2024
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
Still, in many voters’ minds, the association between Democrats and supercilious scolding seems hard to shake.
—Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for supercilious
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
-
Jeffrey Tambor Known for playing the pompous, self-important mayor of Whoville, Jeffery Tambor also has an esteemed career across television and film.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Dec. 2025
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Among the latter is ravenous beaver Nibbles Maplestick (Fortune Feimster, hilarious), who turns out to be a key ally, and pompous new mayor Brian Winddancer (Patrick Warburton), a stallion who used to be an actor.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Jonathan’s making pretentious anti-capitalist films at NYU.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
1 Jan. 2026
-
But Keens is not a pretentious place.—
Charlie Hobbs,
Condé Nast Traveler,
31 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
However, there's no strong evidence suggesting that strength-training in a fasted state is superior to training in a fed state for muscle growth or performance.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Neither assurance of German manufacture nor of superior sound quality sufficed to get the bills back into the salesman’s palm.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Supercilious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/supercilious. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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