1
as in arrogant
having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude
it's rather presuming of you to expect to be our first choice for the award
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in familiar
showing a lack of proper social reserve or modesty
I thought it presuming of him to think that we would invite him along
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in busy
thrusting oneself where one is not welcome or invited
some presuming waiter thought that it was his business to tell the expectant mother that she shouldn't be having even one glass of wine
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in assuming
to form an opinion from little or no evidence
I presume you'll fly if you do go
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in saying
to take as true or as a fact without actual proof
we should presume that a person is innocent until proven guilty
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 presuming
Laura K. Field, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2026
The letter was apparently unconvincing, and the search began again, with detectives presuming suicide.
—Emily Krauser, PEOPLE, 18 Jan. 2026
People familiar with the respective positions say a hearing is all but inevitable, presuming Skubal remains with the Tigers.
—Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Crumb defended the work as criticism of those stereotypes, presuming that people familiar with his art would get the point.
—David Zane Mairowitz, Rolling Stone, 22 Dec. 2025
Nicholas Boggs spent decades researching this thoughtful and well-paced biography, consulting archival material and even interviewing, after presuming him dead, a crucial surviving player in Baldwin’s life story.
—Lucy Feldman, Time, 9 Dec. 2025
That’s presuming a bank would not require a higher interest rate on a 50-year mortgage, due to the longer duration of the loan.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 11 Nov. 2025
Its modest following often dismissed those posts as fakes, presuming the quartet staged spooky stuff for clicks.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 13 Oct. 2025
Storage and safe transport back to Earth, presuming governments and markets decide that bringing helium-3 home is economical, adds further complexity.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 24 Sep. 2025
Verb
The risk is in presuming that anything subversive or sensational is also true and meaningful, and that anything conventional is a lie that must be smashed down.
—Laura K. Field, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2026
The letter was apparently unconvincing, and the search began again, with detectives presuming suicide.
—Emily Krauser, PEOPLE, 18 Jan. 2026
People familiar with the respective positions say a hearing is all but inevitable, presuming Skubal remains with the Tigers.
—Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Crumb defended the work as criticism of those stereotypes, presuming that people familiar with his art would get the point.
—David Zane Mairowitz, Rolling Stone, 22 Dec. 2025
Nicholas Boggs spent decades researching this thoughtful and well-paced biography, consulting archival material and even interviewing, after presuming him dead, a crucial surviving player in Baldwin’s life story.
—Lucy Feldman, Time, 9 Dec. 2025
That’s presuming a bank would not require a higher interest rate on a 50-year mortgage, due to the longer duration of the loan.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 11 Nov. 2025
Its modest following often dismissed those posts as fakes, presuming the quartet staged spooky stuff for clicks.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 13 Oct. 2025
Storage and safe transport back to Earth, presuming governments and markets decide that bringing helium-3 home is economical, adds further complexity.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for presuming
Adjective
-
He is paired with an arrogant young partner (Lou), a second-generation political scion whose personality clashes sharply with his own.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
29 Jan. 2026
-
In the early years of his fame as a writer, Rushdie had something of a reputation for being prickly and arrogant, but Gibney’s portrait reveals a man mellowed by time and experience.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Super Bowl Sunday will bring watch parties with overflowing snack tables and a familiar lineup of wings, chips and dip.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Feb. 2026
-
This moment marks the transition from familiar to unpredictable.—
Micki Meyer,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Lately, Chalamet has been busy moving beyond movie promotion and hitting the Oscars campaign trail following his best actor nomination for Marty Supreme.—
Christi Carras,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Feb. 2026
-
This can be a place of refuge after a busy day of new experiences or from the bustling pool deck.—
Megan duBois,
USA Today,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Johnson cannot afford to lose more than one Republican, assuming all members are present and Democrats are united against the measure being voted on that would set the rules for debating a bill to boost domestic production of critical minerals.—
Justin Papp,
CNBC,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The instinct was to start with the largest model possible, assuming that adaptation would naturally improve performance.—
Abhas Ricky,
Fortune,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In an appearance on Fox News, the Trump-supporting singer bashed the choice of Bunny, saying the performance was an insult to the MAGA movement.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Piagentini dismissed those factors as beside the point, saying judges should trust juries’ sentencing decisions and that Davis’ ruling disrespected the jury process.—
Monroe Trombly,
Louisville Courier Journal,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
High-resistivity wafers enter the high-level injection regime more readily than low-resistivity ones, a physical characteristic that underlies their superior intrinsic potential for achieving high fill factors.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Alas, the reality of sports demands that true greatness is measured only on the biggest stage, where the physical strength and innate talent gifted to every superior athlete takes a backseat to mental fortitude.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
But there’s a throughline in Smith’s most popular works — he’s been cast repeatedly as a villain, and usually an arrogant or smug one.—
Sophia Solano,
Washington Post,
7 Feb. 2026
-
But that poem is no smug cliché.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The lemon pizza and bone marrow tater tots wow diners, yet the regularly rotating menu centered around local harvests keeps guests guessing about what’s coming to their tables next.—
USA TODAY NETWORK,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The restaurant's post promised a free drink to whoever came close to guessing how the cars got there, and why.—
Kathleen Hill,
The Providence Journal,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Presuming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/presuming. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
