1. LESSON 3: THE HIGH AND MIGHTY Words Relating to Feeling Superior

2. Arrogant Overbearing; proud; haughty
Brian arrogantly assumed that he would be named the starting quarterback.
The arrogant businessman refused to listen to the suggestions of his coworkers.
Adjective
Overbearing; proud; haughty

3. Braggart One who boasts a great deal
John is a braggart; he loves to tell me how much money he makes.
The shortstop bragged about the diving catch he made to save the game.
Noun
One who boasts a great deal

4. Complacent Self-satisfied; smug
Soldiers on guard duty cannot afford to become complacent.
Business executives sometimes fall into complacency after many years of success.
Adjective
Self-satisfied; smug

5. Contemptuous Lacking respect; scornful
The dictator was contemptuous of any dissent from his followers.
My boss is very contemptuous; he talked on his cell phone during my entire presentation.
Adjective
Lacking respect; scornful

6. Disdainful Full of bitter scorn and pride; aloof
The rich man laughed disdainfully at the poor orphan.
The college professor looked with disdain on the students who did not catch on immediately.
Adjective
Full of bitter scorn and pride; aloof

7. Egotistical Excessively self-absorbed; very conceited
The egotistical student was shocked when he received a “D” on his term paper.
Anna is one of the most egotistical girls I know; she can’t stop talking about herself.
Adjective
Excessively self-absorbed; very conceited

8. Haughty Having great pride in oneself and dislike for others
The movie star’s haughty dismissal of her co-stars will come back to hurt hrt.
The artist looked haughtily down her nose at people who did not understand her work.
Adjective
Having great pride in oneself and dislike for others

9. Insolent Boldly disrespectful in speech or behavior; rude
Sally’s mother punished her severely for her insolence.
The student’s flip answer to the teacher’s serious question was very insolent.
Adjective
Boldly disrespectful in speech or behavior; rude

10. Narcissistic
My narcissistic sister can’t stop looking at herself in the mirror.
Josh is such a narcissist; he keeps a comb in his pocket at all times.
Adjective
Having to do with extreme self-adoration and feeling of superiority to everyone

11. Ostentatious Having to do with showing off; pretentious
Larry displayed many books in his bookcase ostentatiously, but he hardly read any of them.
The speaker was extremely ostentatious; he repeatedly banged his fist on the table to make his point.
Adjective
Having to do with showing off; pretentious

12. Presumptuous Too forward or bold; overstepping proper bounds
I hope you won’t think I’m being presumptuous if I offer you some advice.
The houseguest presumptuously sat down on the sofa and put his feet up on the table.
Adjective
Too forward or bold; overstepping proper bounds

13. Pretentious
The pretentious man repeatedly mentioned how many books he had read.
The prep school student writes her essays very pretentiously.
Adjective
Claiming or pretending increased importance; ostentatious; affectedly grand

14. Supercilious Looking down on others; proud and scornful
The supercilious aristocrat looked down on her maid.
Some American tourists are supercilious, and don’t respect the customs of the countries they visit.
Adjective
Looking down on others; proud and scornful

15. Swagger
After her promotion, Denise couldn’t help but swagger down the hall to tell her coworkers the news.
Brad Pitt strolled down the red carpet with an exaggerated swagger.
Verb
To walk around in a proud, showy manner; to boast in a loud manner