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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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of overweening
For those who truly want to reshape Washington’s overweening and militarized foreign policy, the best approach is not to engage in name-calling but to work to replace the existing foreign policy consensus and its disciples with something better.
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Emma Ashford, Foreign Affairs, 29 May 2020
Out of an overweening sense of modesty, perhaps, this won’t really come across to the uninitiated.
—Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Mar. 2024
Unlike Zakaria, Perl-Rosenthal doesn’t really believe that counter-revolutionary or illiberal reversals prove that the early revolutionaries were overweening.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
Historical precedent suggested the country’s overweening military authorities would not accept any outcome that went against their political agenda.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 11 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for overweening 
Emma Ashford, Foreign Affairs, 29 May 2020
Out of an overweening sense of modesty, perhaps, this won’t really come across to the uninitiated.
—Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Mar. 2024
Unlike Zakaria, Perl-Rosenthal doesn’t really believe that counter-revolutionary or illiberal reversals prove that the early revolutionaries were overweening.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
Historical precedent suggested the country’s overweening military authorities would not accept any outcome that went against their political agenda.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 11 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for overweening
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overweening
Adjective
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But while the 118 is able to save both Celeste and her mother-in-law’s final resting place, a smug Trent trips and drops the vase, an appropriate punchline to a very silly cold open.Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2024
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The smug conventional wisdom has it that voters don’t care much about abstractions like democracy or the rule of law.Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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For many years, it was renowned for being a major party destination, known for excessive drinking, the easy availability of drugs and river tubing linked to a string of fatalities.Isaac Yee, CNN, 21 Nov. 2024
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The worst part of the storm will occur Wednesday through Friday as parts of the northern California coast are at high risk of excessive rainfall, with areas receiving 10-15 inches in a 48-hour period.Chandelis Duster, NPR, 19 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Nobody wants to be around an arrogant or disrespectful individual, in the workplace or in day-to-day life.AllBusiness, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
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So Far Trump in fact as played by Stan is a mix of charming and shy, troubled and insecure, arrogant and angry, a creative dealmaker with vision, narcissitic, cruel, self-serving, at times grief stricken.Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Inevitably, within hours, the secondary market was flooded with tickets at vastly inflated prices.Jem Aswad, Variety, 29 Oct. 2024
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Oasis announces North America tour dates for summer 2025 00:39 These measures were implemented in an effort to curb ticket scalping, or reselling tickets at inflated prices for profit.Daysia Tolentino, NBC News, 30 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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The town is a bastion of support for Hezbollah and a proud source of its fighting men, whose identities are usually only revealed publicly in death.Rania Abouzeid, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2024
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Clearly proud of such an achievement, Ferrari designed the 360’s engine lid to feature a pane of glass that allows the engine to constantly be on display.Christian Gilbertsen, Robb Report, 21 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Colorado wildfires are becoming more extreme, and fire officials must seek new and better ways to prevent and fight them.The Denver Post, The Denver Post, 16 Nov. 2024
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Trump’s vituperative persona, his enmity toward multilateralism, and his extreme policy agenda could easily sink the United States’ prospects for meaningful leadership of the G-20.Leslie Vinjamuri, Foreign Affairs, 15 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Like any good network soap, Grey’s loves to torture us with exaggerated teaser clips.Laura Bradley, Vulture, 15 Nov. 2024
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Because of the same exaggerated respect for states, each elects two of the 100 senators.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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And with Elon Musk playing a key role in this new administration, who knows in which direction his bombastic, egotistical whims may take AI development?Matt Robison, Newsweek, 20 Nov. 2024
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From this noble, if admittedly egotistical goal, come gaslighting, madness, war, self-mutilation, and murder.James Grebey, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near overweening
Cite this Entry
“Overweening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overweening. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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