arrogance

noun

ar·​ro·​gance ˈer-ə-gən(t)s 

ˈa-rə-

: an attitude of superiority manifested in an overbearing manner or in presumptuous claims or assumptions

Synonyms

• assumption
• bumptiousness
• consequence
• haughtiness
• hauteur
• high horse
• huffiness
• imperiousness
• loftiness
• lordliness
• masterfulness
• peremptoriness
• pomposity
• pompousness
• presumptuousness
• pretense
• pretence
• pretension
• pretentiousness
• self-consequence
• self-importance
• superciliousness
• superiority
• toploftiness

Examples of arrogance in a Sentence

He was like a movie star at his high school reunion, muting his arrogance and trying to be a regular guy for old times' sake. He seemed to genuinely appreciate the honor. —Carlo Rotella, New York Times Sports Magazine, June 2008

This kind of official arrogance is not new, of course, although it is perhaps more common in dictatorships than in democracies. —Ian Buruma, New York Times Book Review, 17 Sept. 2006

Arrogance is, at once, what an athlete most needs and what fans least want to see. —Dan Le Batard, ESPN, 15 Mar. 2004

A British expat who could have stepped out of a Graham Greene plot, Twyman makes an improbable Jamaican hero. His self-assurance borders on arrogance, particularly when something is not done precisely the way he would do it himself. —Barry Estabrook, Gourmet, July 2003

Her arrogance has earned her a lot of enemies.

We were shocked by the arrogance of his comments.

Recent Examples on the Web

Trump’s Comments About The Panama Canal Trump remarked that the United States should regain control of the Panama Canal, a statement that evoked arrogance and colonialism in the past. —Ken Silverstein, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025

The historical 'attitude' (arrogance) in his acting has fueled MAGA, and his endorsements of Trump are undeniably overbearing and irrational. —Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025

That arrogance and overconfidence lead to hubris, which clouds their ability to see things clearly. —Stephanie Dillon, Rolling Stone, 23 Dec. 2024

If Nietzsche was right, altruism comes from selfishness, humility from arrogance, love from hate. —Nikhil Krishnan, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English arrogaunce, errogaunce, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French arrogance, arrogaunce, borrowed from Latin arrogantia, noun derivative of arrogant-, arrogans "insolent, overbearing, arrogant"

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

arrogance

noun

ar·​ro·​gance ˈar-ə-gən(t)s 

: a sense of one's own importance that shows itself in a proud and insulting way