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 Among the bigger names, Whitaker is amusing balancing the public respectability of political ambition with the arrogant unscrupulousness of a shameless white-collar crook. David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 24 Apr. 2025 Richard was known for being outspoken, if not arrogant, consistently rubbing his Tagi tribe the wrong way and offending some of them with his blatant display of nudity on the island. Nick Caruso, TVLine, 27 May 2025 Multiple people described him to me as unpopular and arrogant. Amanda Chicago Lewis, Harpers Magazine, 29 Apr. 2025 For example, when a man in his sixties talks about the same thing, he’s seen as calm and logical, but when a woman in her twenties talks about it, she’s seen as arrogant or trying to act mature. Billboard Japan, Billboard, 15 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for arrogant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arrogant
Adjective
  • Vance was similarly cavalier about the Administration’s noncompliance with court orders—and even about the fact that Abrego Garcia, convicted of no crime in the United States or El Salvador, has been imprisoned indefinitely.
    Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 25 May 2025
  • Meet my very good boys (pictured): Scooter is a nine-year-old cavapoo (cavalier King Charles spaniel and poodle mix).
    Kathy Barnes, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 May 2025
Adjective
  • While the screen compares surprisingly well with the Steam Deck OLED, the Steam Deck supports HDR in addition to the superior OLED panel, which the Legion Go S does not.
    PC Magazine, PC Magazine, 7 June 2025
  • If quality depth is the standard, the Big 12 is superior to the ACC.
    Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 6 June 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.
    Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 2 June 2025
  • Randall is a rebellious new patient at a mental institution who does battle with Louise Fletcher’s domineering head nurse Mildred Ratched.
    Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 20 May 2025
Adjective
  • This is one of the most important services of their lives.
    Buddha Lo, People.com, 13 June 2025
  • But what’s even more important is how the couple got together in the first place.
    Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 13 June 2025
Adjective
  • Stewart has been quietly dominant to start the season, averaging 18.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists shooting 54.1% from the field.
    Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 2 June 2025
  • Nathan struggled in limited playoff action, but few closers in MLB history have been as consistently dominant in the regular season.
    Dan Hayes, New York Times, 2 June 2025
Adjective
  • The show perpetuates corporate media’s retaliation against those who oppose its leftist, Marxist, Communist, socialist agenda — the ideological myth favored by superficial and supercilious showbiz types ever since All the President’s Men and Network.
    Armond White, National Review, 30 Apr. 2025
  • Arthur is … a lot too, but with a supercilious edge?
    Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Napoleon, the pig who takes despotic control of the farm following the revolution — voiced with haughty gusto by Seth Rogen — bears an uncanny resemblance to the current occupant of the White House.
    Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 11 June 2025
  • Back to all the reasonably expressed horror about Trump expressed in haughty fashion, why all the parallel quietude about the Federal Reserve?
    John Tamny, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025
Adjective
  • In a comedic twist, the Labrador retriever was filmed turning back to his owner during the drive, with a smug look on his face as if to boast about his comfortable spot.
    Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 June 2025
  • The letter writer’s smug verbiage may play well in one-party Maryland, but nationally, Americans seek a more collaborative, less agitational approach to political dialogue and reject arrogant, elitist insults spouted by some Democrats.
    Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 8 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Arrogant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arrogant. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.

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