superiority complex

noun

Definition of superiority complexnext
as in bumptiousness

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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 superiority complex His superiority complex results in every seeming slight getting added to his list of offenses, while his lack of self-esteem (which of course often comes with a superiority complex) ensures that the decency of others further fuels his rage. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2026 This gulf has long been a source of misunderstandings, superiority complexes and also humor. — Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 26 Nov. 2025 Narcissists are known for their sense of entitlement, self-centeredness, superiority complex, and condescending attitude toward others. — Angela Haupt, Time, 30 Oct. 2025 The Neun are your bosses, with excessively potent abilities and superiority complexes to match. — Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025 Regarding the supporting cast, Dave is a white, privileged dude with a superiority complex, and in the show, he’s surrounded by people of color who challenge his perception of himself. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 18 July 2025 Khan is arrogant and has maintained his superiority complex towards his Arlen neighbors. — Denise Petski, Deadline, 10 July 2025 However, because a superiority complex is so closely related to narcissistic personality disorder, experts theorize that the effects of NPD can sometimes overlap with the effects of a superiority complex. — Sherri Gordon, Health, 2 Aug. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for superiority complex
  1. high horse
  2. arrogance
  3. superiority
  4. superciliousness
  5. assumption
Noun
  • Buck has long since dismounted from his high horse, but people who live in glass houses that are also occupied by Mike Darnell should probably be a bit more judicious when hucking rocks.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Not that Slusser cares or is interested because her moral high horse is far too tall to allow for much research, but Hentges was non-tendered by the Cleveland Guardians after the 2025 season.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of high horse
Noun
  • Ilya is looking for work as an assistant, and the professor, with his dandyish nerd arrogance, tells him to look at a paper he’s written and come back in a few days.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026
  • This standalone novel looks at the cult of celebrity, the bond among parents and children, entitlement and arrogance, all wrapped into a tightly wound plot that’s an evocative historical steeped in the Great Depression.
    — Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of arrogance
Noun
  • That result shocked many Germans who had believed their country had developed an immunity to nationalism and assertions of racial superiority after confronting the horrors of its Nazi past through education and laws to prohibit persecution.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Sep. 2026
  • That result shocked many Germans who had believed their country had developed an immunity to nationalism and assertions of racial superiority after confronting the horrors of its Nazi past through education and laws to outlaw persecution.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of superiority
Noun
  • However, in the wrong hands, being silent can signal disdain and superciliousness.
    — Matteo Atti, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Definition of superciliousness
Noun
  • Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ended the assumption that energy infrastructure could be insulated from geopolitics.
    — Sam Birchall, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Zahir Islam, PhD, a physicist at ANL, and co-author of the study, said the finding challenges a common assumption in microelectronics that the substrate beneath a thin film simply acts as a passive support.
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of assumption

Browse Nearby Words

superiority
superiority complex
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Cite this Entry

“Superiority complex.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/superiority%20complex. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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