1
as in smug
having too high an opinion of oneself
a director who has little patience for overweening actors who think they are above taking advice and criticism
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in excessive
going beyond a normal or acceptable limit in degree or amount
overweening desire for wealth and fame
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in arrogant
having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude
an overweening administrator who simply doesn't know how to manage people
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in inflated
extended beyond normal or realistic bounds
an overweening national pride that prompted its citizens to denigrate other countries
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of overweening
The doctrine itself has had all manner of ill effects on the capacity of employers to apply race-neutral or gender-neutral standards of qualification and fitness, and replaced the concept of an equal opportunity employer with the overweening human resources departments that gave us DEI.
—
The Editors, National Review, 25 Apr. 2025
The overweening, violent farmer Xan Xanta and his mentally disabled younger brother Loren wanted to sell their land.
—Bartolomeo Sala, The Dial, 27 Mar. 2025
But there’s something dingy and gross, like mottled drifts of old snow, about the overweening influence of Trump’s courtiers and their grubbing relationship with a president so obviously enamored of money and flattery.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2025
To deny Moscow such a dominant position was the overweening objective of all administrations, Democratic or Republican, since World War II.
—Josef Joffe, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2016
See All Example Sentences for overweening
The Editors, National Review, 25 Apr. 2025
The overweening, violent farmer Xan Xanta and his mentally disabled younger brother Loren wanted to sell their land.
—Bartolomeo Sala, The Dial, 27 Mar. 2025
But there’s something dingy and gross, like mottled drifts of old snow, about the overweening influence of Trump’s courtiers and their grubbing relationship with a president so obviously enamored of money and flattery.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2025
To deny Moscow such a dominant position was the overweening objective of all administrations, Democratic or Republican, since World War II.
—Josef Joffe, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2016
See All Example Sentences for overweening
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overweening
Adjective
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Colum’s smug assurance that the wedding will happen soon is rocked when Ned shows up with news of the Grants’ suspicions about the raid.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
12 Sep. 2025
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Howard sells his smug malice, digging into Matt in a way no one has before until the whole thing devolves into a physical fight.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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A level 2 of 4 threat for excessive rainfall is in place for parts of eastern New Mexico and western Texas due to rainfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour possible in the heaviest storms.—
Kyle Reiman,
ABC News,
13 Sep. 2025
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The government's initial response, which blamed opposition factions rather than acknowledging excessive force, further inflamed tensions.—
Sonal Nain,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Zane played the arrogant Cal Hockley, who was engaged to Jack's love interest, Rose (played by Kate Winslet).—
Virginia Chamlee,
People.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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Hardly seems like enough to cow these arrogant companies into behaving, especially when their business model is so intrinsically tied to hoovering up other people’s information and creative work.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Years of delays and an inflated budget have damaged public and political faith in the project, but the past few years have seen progress—with construction happening throughout the state and tracklaying set to begin later this year.—
Theo Burman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
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With pickup trucks exceeding $100K in some instances and 7-passenger Luxury SUVs having a base price even higher, the need for a basic-entry-level commuter is today’s craze to offset the overpriced and inflated automobile market.—
Marc D. Grasso,
Boston Herald,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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As Cantillo dissected his outing, Hedges peered over at him, beaming like a proud father.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
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But the proud Eugene will not hear of it.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Ketamine therapy’s most common short-term side effects are dizziness and nausea, but in extreme cases, long-term, heavy use of ketamine is associated with memory problems, gastrointestinal issues, and urinary tract infections, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.—
Rachel Hale,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
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Tootles’ death disproves this, showing that a hybrid being can die under extreme circumstances.—
Leia Mendoza,
Variety,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Since the movie features an exaggerated take on real-life dating shows, what was your experience like filming a reality show within a movie?—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Sep. 2025
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But are those exaggerated reactions innate or learned?—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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During the Edwardian period and early 20th century, luxury fur coats, full-length wraps, stoles, and extravagant collars were at the height of fashion—as much a symbol of wealth as any jewel.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
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The spread is a rare offering in the Gopher State, where such extravagant homes don’t hit the market all that often.—
Tori Latham,
Robb Report,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overweening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overweening. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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