Standard Lemma guide

overweening

adj · noun · verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /əʊvəˈwiːnɪŋ/
  • General-American: /oʊvɚˈwinɪŋ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -iːnɪŋ

1

adj

Meaning 1

Unduly confident; (sometimes also) arrogant.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • She wins one modeling contest in Montana and suddenly she’s overweening.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: overconfident, presumptuous, conceited, airy, arrogant, chesty, authoritarian, biggity, big-headed, blustery, boastful, lordly, bombastic, buggish, cocky, disdainful, domineering, egotistical, entitled, flatulent, flaunting, full of oneself, glorious, grandiose, hankty, haught, haughty, haut, high-handed, high-hat, high and mighty, highfalutin, hoity-toity, holier-than-thou, hubristic, hubristical, imperious, inflated, insolent, la-di-da, orgulous, ostentatious, overbearing, overweening, pompous, pretentious, priggish, puffed up, sanctimonious, self-important, snobbish, snooty, snotty, stout, stuck up, supercilious, thrasonic, thrasonical, toploftical, toplofty, tumid, turgid, uppish, uppity, uppy, upstage, vain

Antonyms: underconfident, unconfident, uncertain, unsure, timid

2

adj

Meaning 2

Exaggerated, excessive.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: immoderate, unrestrained, devilish, excessive, de trop, extravagant, extreme, intemperate, lavish, nimious, obscene, overmuch, overweening, over the top, prodigal, undue, unmeasured, unreasonable, wanton

Antonyms: moderate, appropriate, due, apropos

3

noun

Meaning 3

An excessively high opinion of oneself or one’s abilities; presumption, arrogance.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

present participle and gerund of overween

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, gerund, participle, present

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

presumptuously arrogant- S.V.Benet- NY Times

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • had a witty but overweening manner
  • no idea how overweening he would be
  • getting a little uppity and needed to be slapped down

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: uppity

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective satellite

Meaning 6

unrestrained, especially with regard to feelings

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • extravagant praise
  • exuberant compliments
  • overweening ambition
  • overweening greed

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: excessive, extravagant, exuberant

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English overweninge, equivalent to overween + -ing. Cognate with obsolete Dutch overwanig, overwaand (“presumptuous; cocky; conceited”).

From Middle English overweninge, equivalent to overween + -ing.

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Across languages

Translations

22 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: самонадея́н (samonadeján) — over-confident
  • Bulgarian: високоме́рен (visokoméren) — over-confident
  • Dutch: zelfverzekerd — over-confident
  • Dutch: arrogant — over-confident
  • Dutch: verwaand — over-confident
  • French: confiant — over-confident
  • French: arrogant — over-confident
  • German: überheblich — over-confident
  • German: eingebildet — over-confident
  • German: anmaßend — over-confident
  • German: arrogant — over-confident
  • Ancient Greek: ὑπέρβιος (hupérbios) — over-confident
  • Irish: ainteann — over-confident
  • Irish: anuallach — over-confident
  • Irish: ládasach — over-confident
  • Irish: leitheadach — over-confident
  • Irish: mórchúiseach — over-confident
  • Irish: mórtasach — over-confident
  • Irish: sotalach — over-confident
  • Occitan: arrogant — over-confident
  • Russian: самонаде́янный (samonadéjannyj) — over-confident
  • Spanish: prepotente — over-confident