overween

Etymology

From Middle English overwēnen (“to be presumptuous, be over-confident; presume”), from Old English oferwennan and oferwenian (“to be proud, become insolent, or presumptuous”), equivalent to over- + ween.

overween means to think too highly or arrogantly of (oneself). Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.

Why “overween” is a great word

OVERWEEN — [Verb] To think too highly or arrogantly of oneself. From Middle English overwēnen, from Old English oferwennan and oferwenian ("to be proud, become insolent, or presumptuous"), equivalent to the prefix over- ("excessively") + ween ("to think, suppose, expect"). First attested before 1300. Unlike "presume," which suggests taking a liberty, or "confident," which denotes a grounded self-assurance, to overween is to cultivate a private garden of unwarranted superiority. It is the strut of a minor official in an empty hall, the serene certainty of the student who has not studied, and the quiet, fatal conviction that one is immune to consequence. It is the tragedy of a mind that has mistaken its own reflection for the horizon.

verb

To think too highly or arrogantly of (oneself).“and they that overween, / And at thy growing virtues fret their spleen,”
To make or render arrogant and overweening.“There is, I suppose, the cheap drama of man sticking his nose into an area where it does little good except to expand his already overweened vanity.”
To overwhelm.“The invasion of a vast enemy host upon the unprepared is unstoppable; the huge phalanx of tanks overweens our small army of trucks and rifles; […]”