supercilious
/ˌsuː.pəˈsɪ.li.əs/
supercilious means arrogantly superior; showing contemptuous indifference; haughty. It carries an Arena rating of 1803, earned across 11 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, supercilious ranks #297 of 17,130 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #1,337 of 17,116 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #1,620 of 17,093 for Most Storied Words, #5,015 of 17,122 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound.
supercilious is pronounced /ˌsuː.pəˈsɪ.li.əs/.
Why “supercilious” is a great word
Arrogantly superior and showing contemptuous indifference. Learned borrowing from Latin superciliōsus ('haughty'), from supercilium ('eyebrow; haughty demeanor'), where the raised brow became a gesture of scorn. Unlike 'haughty,' which suggests a more general condescension, or 'disdainful,' which emphasizes raw contempt, 'supercilious' is the smug, overt performance of dismissal—a superiority performed, not merely felt. It is the maître d' who examines your shoes before your face, the colleague who interrupts with a sigh and a glance at the ceiling, the slow arch of the eyebrow over a half-closed eye—the quiet theater of someone who has already decided your worth before you have finished your sentence.
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin superciliōsus (“haughty”).
adj
- Arrogantly superior; showing contemptuous indifference; haughty.
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- arrogant 65% match — Having excessive pride in oneself, often with contempt or disrespect for others. vs supercilious →
- contemptuously 64% match — In a disrespectful or discourteous manner; condescendingly. vs supercilious →
- toploftical 64% match — Haughty, hoity-toity, superior. vs supercilious →
- condescending 63% match — Assuming a tone of superiority, or a patronizing attitude. vs supercilious →
- snobbish 63% match — Having the property of being a snob; arrogant and pretentious; smugly superior or dismissive of perceived inferiors. vs supercilious →
- orgulous 63% match — Arrogant, haughty, proud. vs supercilious →
- hubristic 63% match — Of or relating to hubris (“excessive arrogance or pride, or presumption”); hence, overly arrogant or proud, or presumptuous, especially in a disdainful or rude manner. vs supercilious →
- contemptful 62% match — Full of contempt. vs supercilious →