as in cavalier
having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude the arrogant young lawyer elbowed his way to the head of the line of customers, declaring that he was too busy to wait like everybody else

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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an arrogant attitude
a pompous attitude
a smug attitude
an overconfident attitude
a snobbish attitude
a conceited attitude
arrogant people
cocky people
egotistical people
pompous people
conceited people
an arrogant assumption
an audacious assumption
a pompous assumption
a presumptuous assumption
an overconfident assumption
a boastful assumption

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective arrogant differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of arrogant are disdainful, haughty, insolent, lordly, overbearing, proud, and supercilious. While all these words mean "showing scorn for inferiors," arrogant implies a claiming for oneself of more consideration or importance than is warranted.

a conceited and arrogant executive

When is disdainful a more appropriate choice than arrogant?

The synonyms disdainful and arrogant are sometimes interchangeable, but disdainful suggests a more active and openly scornful superciliousness.

disdainful of their social inferiors

When would haughty be a good substitute for arrogant?

The words haughty and arrogant are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, haughty suggests a consciousness of superior birth or position.

a haughty aristocrat

When might insolent be a better fit than arrogant?

The words insolent and arrogant can be used in similar contexts, but insolent implies contemptuous haughtiness.

ignored by an insolent waiter

When could lordly be used to replace arrogant?

The meanings of lordly and arrogant largely overlap; however, lordly implies pomposity or an arrogant display of power.

a lordly condescension

Where would overbearing be a reasonable alternative to arrogant?

While the synonyms overbearing and arrogant are close in meaning, overbearing suggests a tyrannical manner or an intolerable insolence.

an overbearing supervisor

When can proud be used instead of arrogant?

In some situations, the words proud and arrogant are roughly equivalent. However, proud may suggest an assumed superiority or loftiness.

too proud to take charity

When is it sensible to use supercilious instead of arrogant?

While in some cases nearly identical to arrogant, supercilious implies a cool, patronizing haughtiness.

an aloof and supercilious manner

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 arrogant An arrogant advertiser at the peak of success is forced to promote a tycoon as a presidential candidate, while a mysterious stalker threatens to destroy his agency and his reputation. Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 21 Jan. 2025 And a lot of fans have turned their ire toward the SEC, and were happy to see the Fighting Irish stick it to that league’s arrogant defenders by beating Georgia last week. Dan Shanoff, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025 The Democrats today recall the Whigs lacerated by Marx in nineteenth-century Britain, another liberal party tied to an arrogant economic elite. Matthew Karp, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025 There’s an arrogant swagger to a lot of the alternative truth crowd. Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for arrogant 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arrogant
Adjective
  • According to a Vet Explains Pets article by Dr. Jess Kirk, the breeds that are more suited for living with small animals like rabbits include golden retrievers, cavalier king Charles spaniels, pugs, beagles, and poodles, among others.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 30 Jan. 2025
  • So maybe, on some level, Jeff was acting out his cavalier attitude toward his own masculine spirit.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 27 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • The Pixel Watch 3 is superior to both with its mix of static and dynamic scores that offer more depth of insight.
    PCMAG, PCMAG, 18 Feb. 2025
  • Recently, a bold and intriguing narrative emerged from the Women’s National Basketball Association, where several players have publicly declared their capabilities as being on par with, if not superior to, those in the National Basketball Association.
    Nafees Alam, Boston Herald, 18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • He’s had something of a habit of playing domineering fathers, doing so on Ugly Betty (2006–2007) and as Charles Widmore on Lost (2006–2010).
    Sezin Devi Koehler, EW.com, 8 Feb. 2025
  • The stress of being a loyal husband and father while toiling tirelessly at Spacely Space Sprockets – headed by a domineering man with a Napoleon complex – seems to float away as the zooming saucer-like aero cars with large bubble roofs leave behind popcorn-like residue from fuel pellets and radium.
    Natasha Gural, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Parting ways with Marvel was certainly a massive decision that not a lot of people would make, but that was really important for me at the time.
    Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Feb. 2025
  • To improve brain function and sharpen your focus Magnesium plays an important role in relaying signals between your brain and body.
    Fiona Embleton, Glamour, 11 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • His pairing with Aho has been as dominant as the MacKinnon-Necas duo … except on the scoreboard.
    Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 16 Feb. 2025
  • In the United States, the dominant view on how to manage addiction has traditionally been that abstinence is the best solution.
    Moises Velasquez-Manoff Robert Petkoff Emma Kehlbeck Zak Mouton, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Still, in many voters’ minds, the association between Democrats and supercilious scolding seems hard to shake.
    Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2024
  • Even Lu, most closed and supercilious of the bunch, has weird, troubled reservoirs of shame that gradually start to froth and bubble.
    Sara Holdren, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2024
Adjective
  • Looking a little debauched in her fur coat, her Clytemnestra is weary, wary of what her daughter intends, but also wonderfully haughty.
    David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Feb. 2025
  • In those few seconds the normally likeable Burleson became very haughty.
    Bob Raissman, New York Daily News, 1 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Oliver then suddenly appeared with a smug look on his face.
    Jack Dunn, Variety, 11 Feb. 2025
  • Remember how, in that SNL book, Ferrell represented the hip future of comedy, mocking the smug boomer shtick of a Chevy Chase?
    Tim Grierson, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near arrogant

Cite this Entry

“Arrogant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arrogant. Accessed 24 Feb. 2025.

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