arrogance
noun
ar·ro·gance
ˈer-ə-gən(t)s 
ˈa-rə-
: an attitude of superiority manifested in an overbearing manner or in presumptuous claims or assumptions
Synonyms
- assumption
- bumptiousness
- consequence
- haughtiness
- hauteur
- high horse
- huffiness
- imperiousness
- loftiness
- lordliness
- masterfulness
- peremptoriness
- pomposity
- pompousness
- presumptuousness
- pretense
- pretence
- pretension
- pretentiousness
- self-consequence
- self-importance
- superciliousness
- superiority
- toploftiness
Examples of arrogance in a Sentence
He was like a movie star at his high school reunion, muting his arrogance and trying to be a regular guy for old times' sake. He seemed to genuinely appreciate the honor.
—
Carlo Rotella, New York Times Sports Magazine, June 2008
This kind of official arrogance is not new, of course, although it is perhaps more common in dictatorships than in democracies.
—Ian Buruma, New York Times Book Review, 17 Sept. 2006
Arrogance is, at once, what an athlete most needs and what fans least want to see.
—Dan Le Batard, ESPN, 15 Mar. 2004
A British expat who could have stepped out of a Graham Greene plot, Twyman makes an improbable Jamaican hero. His self-assurance borders on arrogance, particularly when something is not done precisely the way he would do it himself.
—Barry Estabrook, Gourmet, July 2003
Her arrogance has earned her a lot of enemies.
We were shocked by the arrogance of his comments.
Carlo Rotella, New York Times Sports Magazine, June 2008
This kind of official arrogance is not new, of course, although it is perhaps more common in dictatorships than in democracies.
—Ian Buruma, New York Times Book Review, 17 Sept. 2006
Arrogance is, at once, what an athlete most needs and what fans least want to see.
—Dan Le Batard, ESPN, 15 Mar. 2004
A British expat who could have stepped out of a Graham Greene plot, Twyman makes an improbable Jamaican hero. His self-assurance borders on arrogance, particularly when something is not done precisely the way he would do it himself.
—Barry Estabrook, Gourmet, July 2003
Her arrogance has earned her a lot of enemies.
We were shocked by the arrogance of his comments.
Recent Examples on the Web
All physicists who are ambitious and really want to get somewhere in the subject have to have a certain degree of arrogance, for sure.
—Quanta Magazine, 11 Apr. 2024
To sketch the story of the weakening grip of native plant life on Rapa Nui as a predictable story of human arrogance intersecting with a small, remote and evolutionarily vulnerable spit of land is tempting, but the tale is more nuanced than that.
—Daniel Lewis, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for arrogance 
Quanta Magazine, 11 Apr. 2024
To sketch the story of the weakening grip of native plant life on Rapa Nui as a predictable story of human arrogance intersecting with a small, remote and evolutionarily vulnerable spit of land is tempting, but the tale is more nuanced than that.
—Daniel Lewis, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for arrogance
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'arrogance.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near arrogance
Cite this Entry
“Arrogance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arrogance. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
arrogance
noun
ar·ro·gance
ˈar-ə-gən(t)s
: a sense of one's own importance that shows itself in a proud and insulting way
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