as in arrogant
having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude
a bumptious young man whose family wealth gave him a sense of entitlement
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Recent Examples of bumptious
Despite lines that are initially chatty and chirpy, Corden shows how bumptious his character really is.
—
David Benedict, Variety, 26 June 2024
Although not always directly correlated with being bumptious and arrogant, performing at a higher standard than others, and having something to show for it, will always garner attention.
—Clare French, Hartford Courant, 16 Mar. 2024
Which is not to imply that the six-year-old, with quite a bumptious career behind him, is of Secretariat's muster.
—Guy Martin, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
The story is a familiar one — a young immigrant fetches up in New York to seek his fortune, only to be buffeted by a bumptious city and cut to the quick by its competitive edge — but Torres reshapes it into something simultaneously more fantastical and far more real.
—Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for bumptious
David Benedict, Variety, 26 June 2024
Although not always directly correlated with being bumptious and arrogant, performing at a higher standard than others, and having something to show for it, will always garner attention.
—Clare French, Hartford Courant, 16 Mar. 2024
Which is not to imply that the six-year-old, with quite a bumptious career behind him, is of Secretariat's muster.
—Guy Martin, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
The story is a familiar one — a young immigrant fetches up in New York to seek his fortune, only to be buffeted by a bumptious city and cut to the quick by its competitive edge — but Torres reshapes it into something simultaneously more fantastical and far more real.
—Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for bumptious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bumptious
arrogant
Adjective
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The protests proved conclusively that Americans will not tolerate the deployment of the U.S. military in American cities, the constant line-stepping over constitutional boundaries, the arrests of political dissenters, or the arrogant defense of police-state tactics.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 June 2025
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In Aesop’s fable, the turtle (traditionally called a tortoise, which is a type of turtle) is a winner, a perpetual underdog who defeats the arrogant hare.—
A.O. Scott,
New York Times,
13 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bumptious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bumptious. Accessed 27 Jun. 2025.
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