overconfident

adjective

over·​con·​fi·​dent ˌō-vər-ˈkän-fə-dənt 

-ˌdent

: excessively or unjustifiably confident : having too much confidence (as in one's abilities or judgment)

an overconfident driver

wasn't overconfident about their chances of winning

… he often starts cold, missing a few shots, allowing his opponent to get on a roll, to get overconfident.

—Brett Forrest

overconfidently adverb

overconfidently predicted the team would win

Synonyms

• audacious
• brash
• daredevil
• foolhardy
• madcap
• overbold
• reckless
• temerarious

Examples of overconfident in a Sentence

the overconfident quarterback made some careless decisions that cost him the game

Recent Examples on the Web

Acting arrogant, overconfident or self-promotional can alienate interviewers. —Jack Kelly, Forbes, 5 Sep. 2024

Both vessels were at the cutting edge of technology, both exemplars of safety in the eyes of their overconfident creators. —Mark Harris, WIRED, 11 June 2024

This adulatory reaction is, in turn, causing Xi and other Chinese leaders to be dangerously overconfident. —Tong Zhao, Foreign Affairs, 9 May 2023

An overconfident Kremlin Russian government propaganda throughout the war has been strangely ambivalent. —Peter Rutland, The Conversation, 14 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1617, in the meaning defined above