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 The arrogant anti-union stance did not start with the current CEO; even the legendary Studs Terkel was slapped down by WFMT management for his earlier support of an effort to unionize in 1990. Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2025 Market shakeouts are about testing risk tolerances, forcing a rethink of unexamined premises and, at times, chastening the arrogant. Michael Santoli, CNBC, 3 Mar. 2025 The judicial system becomes more radical and arrogant, and politicians become more cowardly. Ian Max Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 2 Mar. 2025 So this kind of parallel can easily be drawn between Iran and other countries, [including those with] an arrogant isolation program, definitely. Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for arrogant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arrogant
Adjective
  • Colossal’s cavalier plans to use captive elephants as surrogates for mammoth calves illustrate an old problem in modern wildlife conservation: indifference towards individual animal suffering.
    Nitin Sekar, ArsTechnica, 5 Apr. 2025
  • Among some Republicans, there is also an element of trepidation about the political impact of Musk’s cavalier approach.
    Niall Stanage, The Hill, 25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • The curved, low-profile silhouette creates a modern spin on the otherwise classic design, while the chair’s high-density foam filling offers superior support.
    Megan Schaltegger, People.com, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Dividend income provides emotional comfort, emotional comfort encourages good investment behavior and good investment behavior creates superior long-term returns.
    Jenny Van Leeuwen Harrington, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Carrie is described as a reimagining of the story of misfit high-schooler Carrie White, who has spent her life in seclusion with her domineering mother.
    Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 10 Apr. 2025
  • Perhaps most frustrating to Mainers: the domineering influence of Boston in the state’s government.
    Made by History, Time, 7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • This Milan Design Week was an important one for Louis Vuitton.
    Liam Hess, Vogue, 10 Apr. 2025
  • Sri Lanka worried that its economic recovery would be derailed as its clothing industry faced new tariffs from its most important export market.
    Time, Time, 10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Graduate guard Azzi Fudd, who scored just eight points in UConn’s Elite Eight win against USC, was equally dominant.
    Grace Raynor, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2025
  • Alencar secured four of five takedown attempts and maintained 12:38 of control time en route to the dominant win.
    Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • 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
Adjective
  • The newcomers to their abode are Jerry, a hunky Mormon flight attendant (Bomer), and Arthur, a haughty fashion doyen recently fired from Vogue (Graham).
    Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2025
  • Just when things are looking up — a haughty British couple leaves this daughter of Oxfordshire a handsome tip — the dinner pervert turns up for his morning coffee.
    Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • But my in-laws seemed not to catch this smug look of his, and when my mother-in-law excused herself to go to the bathroom, my father-in-law took the opportunity to go over to his desk and take out one of his special blue envelopes.
    Hazlitt, Hazlitt, 2 Apr. 2025
  • But those smug computers obviously haven’t seen a shirtless Illini coach Brad Underwood and his Super Soaker squirt gun.
    Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Arrogant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arrogant. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.

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