bumptious 1 of 2

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

bumptiousness

2 of 2

noun

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 bumptious
Adjective
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bumptious
Adjective
  • That doesn’t portray a hero, but rather someone so arrogant as to invent his own law and appoint himself its executioner.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2025
  • Fed Up in Illinois Dear Fed Up: Is Edie mean, arrogant, disobedient and rude in the presence of her parents, or has she been invited to spend time with your girls separately?
    Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 5 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Solskjaer felt that overconfidence bordering on arrogance might be PSG’s Achilles’ heel.
    Andy Mitten, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2025
  • Titan: Plunges into the chilling 2023 submersible tragedy, peeling back the layers of ambition, arrogance, and a lack of oversight that led to catastrophe.
    Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • With the Soviet Union’s collapse, the United States enjoyed a margin of superiority that would have been unimaginable to earlier great powers.
    A. Wess Mitchell, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
  • Will this Lucid’s obvious superiority from a rational perspective be able to offset the minivan-esque styling?
    Michael Teo Van Runkle, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Bumptious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bumptious. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.

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