overweening

adjective

ˌō-vər-ˈwē-niŋ How to pronounce overweening (audio)
Definition of overweeningnext
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

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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

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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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4
as in inflated
extended beyond normal or realistic bounds an overweening national pride that prompted its citizens to denigrate other countries

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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 overweening That experience left me with an indelible lesson about the overweening willpower that carried otherwise ordinary men to such heights, or depths, of achievement. — Alfred McCoy, Literary Hub, 26 Feb. 2026 Henry manages to put in a good, if overweening, performance at Web Horizons, going off-prompter to lament the lack of sincerity in modern life without bothering to relate it back to mobile banking. — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 2 Feb. 2026 Stage and screen director Maria Friedman focuses this story tightly on Frank (both figuratively and literally, on film), cursed with overwhelming talent and overweening ambition. — Gemma Wilson, Boston Herald, 5 Dec. 2025 Iraqi nationalism is the ultimate hedge against Iran’s overweening ambitions; no Iraqi wishes for his or her country to become a pawn of Iran. — Linda S. Robinson, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2019 See All Example Sentences for overweening
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overweening
  1. smug
  2. excessive
  3. arrogant
  4. inflated
  5. proud
  6. extreme
  7. exaggerated
  8. vainglorious
Adjective
  • Here was my chance to get out of London, this counterfeit of death with its everywhere rage and its moribund culture and its smug population and its streets steeped in resentment and the sky pressing down like a chloroform rag.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Hilton vouches for their integrity, then quickly pivots into an attack on smug Democrats who take voters for granted.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of smug
Adjective
  • According to a one-year analysis of data collected from San Francisco’s 33 camera locations and other traffic-sensing equipment, excessive speeding — more than 10 mph above the speed limit — dropped nearly 80%.
    — Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Brought by Koya’s estate and daughter Nathifa Wright, it’s being heard at Sacramento’s United States District Court and seeks damages for 17 claims, including false detention, excessive force and wrongful death.
    — Theresa Clift, Sacbee.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of excessive
Adjective
  • Ever-sensible Elinor, who never asks for much, has already met, and fallen for, Edward Ferrars (George MacKay), Fanny’s brother, as kind and modest as Fanny is arrogant.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Hal and Kate, having misread Trowbridge’s shock and dismay at the tragic death of Austin Dennison as a worse-than-usual bit of arrogant posturing, switch to Bad Cop mode.
    — Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of arrogant
Adjective
  • The boxes allegedly cost substantially less to produce, allowing the conspirators to use the inflated prices to finance bribes and divert government funds.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 12 Oct. 2026
  • As a result, conventional estimates produced inflated efficiency values that failed to reflect actual device behavior under operating conditions.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of inflated
Adjective
  • And like many on the margins, Kanchan was proud of her right to vote — a rare equalizer in unequal India.
    — Diaa Hadid, NPR, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The only thing that matters is that my kids, their moms and my dad are proud of me.
    — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of proud
Adjective
  • Many of these materials are made from oil, which emits pollutants when burned, driving climate change and fueling extreme weather.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The flooding comes after extreme weather hit the Southwest throughout the week.
    — Ava Berger, NPR, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of extreme
Adjective
  • The team’s 23-year-old in-house expert in men’s tailoring, Mario Vidal, also cut Carlos’s jackets to be wide on the shoulders and tight at the waist, adding further drama with exaggerated lapels.
    — Elaina Patton, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2026
  • In a series of TikTok videos made yesterday, North West debuted an exaggerated prosthetic chin and slick-black bob, tagging the Bad Girls star.
    — Isabella Albaig, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of exaggerated
Adjective
  • Claire’s elective death therefore remains a problematic choice for some viewers, an act of vainglorious selfishness from a woman who was never terribly nice to begin with.
    — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 24 May 2026
  • Melodramatic and vainglorious, moody and capricious, a fidgety, neurotic hypochondriac, Stalin was a bundle of appalling contradictions.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 Feb. 2026
Definition of vainglorious

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overweening
overweigh
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Cite this Entry

“Overweening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overweening. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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