arrogate means to appropriate or lay claim to something for oneself without right. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 74 out of 100.
arrogate is pronounced /ˈæɹəɡeɪt/.
Why “arrogate” is a great word
ARROGATE — [Verb] To appropriate or lay claim to something for oneself without right. From Latin arrogātus, past participle of adrogō/arrogō ("to ask for, claim, adopt, assume"), from ad ("to") + rogō ("to ask"). First attested in English in the 1530s. Unlike "assume," which can neutrally describe taking on a role, or "usurp," which specifically denotes seizing power by force, to arrogate is the quieter, presumptuous theft of authority never granted. It is the junior colleague taking the chair at the head of the table, the critic dismissing a masterpiece with a wave, or the gardener who, after years of tending a rented plot, begins to speak of "my land." It is the civil crime of acting as if the world owes you its deference.
verb
- To appropriate or lay claim to something for oneself without right.“Ye who arrogate to yourselves that ye see more, or at least are not so blind as others; in your unbelieving conduct, allow me to say, ye are blinder than others; ye are even blinder than the most ignorant and illiterate.”