Synonyms of supercilious

supercilious

adjective

ˌsü-pər-ˈsi-lē-əs 

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

• arrogant
• pompous
• pretentious
• superior
• cavalier
• haughty
• bumptious
• high-and-mighty
• smug
• sniffy
• hifalutin
• uppity
• assumptive
• important
• domineering
• presumptuous
• high-handed
• dominant
• uppish
• imperious
• huffy
• chesty
• masterful
• authoritarian
• high-hat
• peremptory
• presuming
• patronizing
• lordly
• overweening
• proud
• highfalutin
• self-assertive
• condescending
• dominating
• huffish
• impudent
• lofty
• toploftical
• snobbish
• disdainful
• toplofty
• snooty
• stiff-necked
• pontifical
• bossy
• egotistical
• self-asserting
• snobby
• boastful
• conceited
• saucy
• vainglorious
• magisterial
• cocky
• egoistical
• egocentric
• impertinent
• narcissistic
• blusterous
• bombastic
• hubristic
• vain
• swaggering
• blustery
• self-centered
• egotistic
• pontificating
• complacent
• egoistic
• prideful
• self-satisfied
• self-complacent
• braggy
• self-conceited
• stuck-up
• braggart
• uninhibited
• immodest
• extraverted
• bragging
• extroverted
• brash
• self-flattering
• self-promoting
• unreserved
• orgulous
• self-loving
• self-affected
• self-applauding
• self-pleased
• forward

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• humble
• modest
• lowly
• unpretentious
• timid
• sheepish
• bashful
• diffident
• shy
• passive
• subdued
• mousy
• deferential
• demure
• introverted
• shrinking
• meek
• unassuming
• submissive
• unassertive
• unobtrusive
• acquiescent
• compliant
• unarrogant
• unaggressive
• mousey
• cringing
• self-critical
• quiet
• yielding
• self-doubting
• cowering
• overmodest
• reserved
• retiring

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective supercilious differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of supercilious are arrogant, disdainful, haughty, insolent, lordly, overbearing, and proud. While all these words mean "showing scorn for inferiors," supercilious implies a cool, patronizing haughtiness.

an aloof and supercilious manner

When could arrogant be used to replace supercilious?

The synonyms arrogant and supercilious are sometimes interchangeable, but arrogant implies a claiming for oneself of more consideration or importance than is warranted.

a conceited and arrogant executive

When would disdainful be a good substitute for supercilious?

While in some cases nearly identical to supercilious, disdainful suggests a more active and openly scornful superciliousness.

disdainful of their social inferiors

In what contexts can haughty take the place of supercilious?

The words haughty and supercilious can be used in similar contexts, but haughty suggests a consciousness of superior birth or position.

a haughty aristocrat

Where would insolent be a reasonable alternative to supercilious?

While the synonyms insolent and supercilious are close in meaning, insolent implies contemptuous haughtiness.

ignored by an insolent waiter

When is lordly a more appropriate choice than supercilious?

Although the words lordly and supercilious have much in common, lordly implies pomposity or an arrogant display of power.

a lordly condescension

When is it sensible to use overbearing instead of supercilious?

The words overbearing and supercilious are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, overbearing suggests a tyrannical manner or an intolerable insolence.

an overbearing supervisor

When might proud be a better fit than supercilious?

The meanings of proud and supercilious largely overlap; however, proud may suggest an assumed superiority or loftiness.

too proud to take charity

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of supercilious

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

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

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