Transcription
-
- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
-
- [soo-per-sil-ee-uh s]
- /ˌsu pərˈsɪl i əs/
- /ˌsuː.pəˈsɪl.i.əs/
-
- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [soo-per-sil-ee-uh s]
- /ˌsu pərˈsɪl i əs/
Definitions of supercilious word
- adjective supercilious haughtily disdainful or contemptuous, as a person or a facial expression. 1
- adjective supercilious disdainful 1
- adjective supercilious If you say that someone is supercilious, you disapprove of them because they behave in a way that shows they think they are better than other people. 0
- adjective supercilious displaying arrogant pride, scorn, or indifference 0
- adjective supercilious disdainful or contemptuous; full of or characterized by pride or scorn; haughty 0
Information block about the term
Origin of supercilious
First appearance:
before 1520 One of the 28% oldest English words
From the Latin word superciliōsus, dating back to 1520-30. See supercilium, -ous
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Supercilious
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
supercilious popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 74% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.
supercilious usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for supercilious
adj supercilious
- aloof — Someone who is aloof is not very friendly and does not like to spend time with other people.
- aporetic — Tending to doubt.
- arbitrary — If you describe an action, rule, or decision as arbitrary, you think that it is not based on any principle, plan, or system. It often seems unfair because of this.
- arrogant — Someone who is arrogant behaves in a proud, unpleasant way towards other people because they believe that they are more important than others.
- biggety — conceited or self-important.
adjective supercilious
- assuming — You use assuming or assuming that when you are considering a possible situation or event, so that you can think about the consequences.
- chilly — Something that is chilly is unpleasantly cold.
- cocksure — Someone who is cocksure is so confident and sure of their abilities that they annoy other people.
- hardboiled — Alternative spelling of hard-boiled.
- highhanded — Alternative spelling of high-handed.
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See also
Matching words
- Words starting with s
- Words starting with su
- Words starting with sup
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- Words starting with supercilio
- Words starting with superciliou
- Words starting with supercilious