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 Ava Daniels is a young comedy writer who is unable to find work due to an insensitive tweet and her reputation for being self-centered and arrogant. Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025 And the villains, of course, exuding every nastily relatable emotion; the stepmothers and sorceresses are vain, arrogant, dismissive, lonely, rude, and outrageous. Darren Franich, Vulture, 26 Mar. 2025 There’s a certain traditional stereotype of actors as people who are arrogant or self-confident, the sort of people who are overly serious, aloof, or pretentious. Callum Booth, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025 In a world where deal flow is crucial, being labeled as an arrogant VC results in missing out on prime opportunities. David Nour, Forbes.com, 31 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
  • In contrast, the Pixel 9, priced at $799, offers a brighter display, 12GB RAM, a superior 50MP main camera, and additional features like faster charging and Wi-Fi 7 support.
    Prakhar Khanna, Forbes.com, 19 Apr. 2025
  • In any case, there's no question that players got a superior product because of the decision to delay the game.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • As mild-mannered schoolteacher Mr. Lisbon, James Woods plays a quiet counterpoint to his domineering wife.
    Sezin Devi Koehler, EW.com, 21 Apr. 2025
  • Among them towers the frighteningly domineering Honoria Glossop.
    Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Three Key Lessons: Pareek’s Insights into Innovation Over the course of his career, Pareek has learned many important lessons.
    William Jones, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2025
  • Big-ticket buying Washing machines are seen for sale at a home improvement store in Falls Church, Virginia, February 3, 2025, following the announcement of tariffs by US President Donald Trump on important goods from Canada and Mexico.
    Sara Salinas, CNBC, 25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Once the dominant chipmaker in the U.S., Intel has faced numerous challenges in recent years, losing ground to players like Nvidia, AMD, Qualcomm and Apple.
    Ryan Browne, CNBC, 17 Apr. 2025
  • From being drafted in the first round to somehow exceeding those expectations, Smith and Martin represented something much bigger than their dominant play on the field.
    Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 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
  • Schwarzenegger stars as the haughty, sleazy eldest son of a wealthy family whose patriarch and matriarch are portrayed by Jason Isaacs and Parker Posey, respectively.
    Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 17 Feb. 2025
  • Though Saturday Night excoriates Chase as a haughty frat-adjacent character and the actor’s reputation as being difficult to work with precedes him, an early writer paints a more humble picture.
    Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 15 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • The washers contain a large haul of cocaine, which Mia and Charlie are tasked with delivering to the Chinatown hangout of smug young local Triad boss Tsui Fong (Jeremy Ang Jones) to square up a debt.
    David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 24 Apr. 2025
  • This brings me back to the siege of Jackson, which happens at the same time as Abby’s smug speechifying and Joel-torturing up at the lodge.
    Noel Murray, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Arrogant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arrogant. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.

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