as in bumptiousness
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Recent Examples of superiority complex
However, thanks to an infusion of new faces and a change in attitude, the superiority complex that once accelerated Italian soccer’s decline has finally given way to the acceptance that change must occur from within.
—
David Ferrini, Forbes.com, 21 June 2025
Two of the leads hated each other — the British stage actor thought the scruffy newcomer was a snot-nosed punk, and his younger co-star felt the veteran thespian was a drunk with a superiority complex.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 June 2025
The resort managers at the various White Lotus locations share a tight fuse and superiority complex.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 3 Apr. 2025
Victoria’s power is sublimated, but her superiority complex is strong.
—Julia Whelan Emma Kehlbeck Joel Thibodeau, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2025
Our guru would have abhorred any sense of superiority complex based on the fact that we were spared while others suffered.
—Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2025
But the kind of inbuilt superiority complex that came through in Pereira’s comments inevitably lends the whole thing more frisson.
—Jack Lang, The Athletic, 7 July 2024
This one, however, takes devastating aim at a certain kind of liberal’s insufferable superiority complex.
—Joe Berkowitz, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2024
Written by a man suffering from superiority complex?
—Anushka Halve, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
David Ferrini, Forbes.com, 21 June 2025
Two of the leads hated each other — the British stage actor thought the scruffy newcomer was a snot-nosed punk, and his younger co-star felt the veteran thespian was a drunk with a superiority complex.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 June 2025
The resort managers at the various White Lotus locations share a tight fuse and superiority complex.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 3 Apr. 2025
Victoria’s power is sublimated, but her superiority complex is strong.
—Julia Whelan Emma Kehlbeck Joel Thibodeau, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2025
Our guru would have abhorred any sense of superiority complex based on the fact that we were spared while others suffered.
—Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2025
But the kind of inbuilt superiority complex that came through in Pereira’s comments inevitably lends the whole thing more frisson.
—Jack Lang, The Athletic, 7 July 2024
This one, however, takes devastating aim at a certain kind of liberal’s insufferable superiority complex.
—Joe Berkowitz, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2024
Written by a man suffering from superiority complex?
—Anushka Halve, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for superiority complex
Noun
-
Esparza So in the aftermath, Biles was humble, while Gaines was gracious (from a rather high horse).—
Elizabeth Logan,
Glamour,
12 June 2025
-
And, by the way, Tim Walz gets on his high horse about mind your own damn business.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Aug. 2024
Noun
-
The lines between competitive stubbornness and plain old stubbornness, a healthy arrogance and prideful ignorance are pretty thin.—
Will Graves,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 June 2025
-
Individuals with big egos display excessive pride in their abilities and accomplishments, often leading to arrogance and overconfidence.—
AllBusiness,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
Noun
-
Beijing’s military capabilities already surpass India’s, and given its lower defense burden—the ratio of military expenditures to GDP—China could expand its defense spending with fewer penalties to its economic growth compared with India while further widening its military superiority.—
ASHLEY J. TELLIS,
Foreign Affairs,
17 June 2025
-
Dad, as fathers do, asserted his physical superiority.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
17 June 2025
Noun
-
The capitalist assumption that individuals should earn their livelihood through labor doesn't work anymore when machines outperform humans at both speed and cost.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 June 2025
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However, that was based on the assumption that the district would receive $300 million in additional funding from the state or the city, which hasn’t materialized.—
Kate Armanini,
Chicago Tribune,
27 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Superiority complex.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/superiority%20complex. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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