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When you act with abandon, you give in to the impulse of the moment and behave in a wild, uncontrolled way.
You affront someone by openly and intentionally offending or insulting him.
If your behavior or manner is altruistic, you show you care more about other people and their interests than you care about yourself.
Someone who is arrogant thinks very highly of themselves; as a result, they can be self-important and act as if they are better than others.
An audacious person acts with great daring and sometimes reckless bravery—despite risks and warnings from other people—in order to achieve something.
An autocratic person rules with complete power; consequently, they make decisions and give orders to people without asking them for their opinion or advice.
Bonhomie is a friendly feeling among a group of people.
If you describe a person’s behavior as brazen, you mean that they are not embarrassed by anything they do—they simply don’t care what other people think about them.
Bumptious people are annoying because they are too proud of their abilities or opinions—they are full of themselves.
Camaraderie is a feeling of friendship and trust among a group of people who have usually known each over a long period of time.
A cavalier person does not seem to care about rules, principles, or other people’s feelings, no matter how dire or serious a situation may be.
If you are chary of doing something, you are cautious or timid about doing it because you are afraid that something bad will happen.
A chivalrous man behaves in a polite, kind, generous, and honorable way, especially towards women.
Complacent persons are too confident and relaxed because they think that they can deal with a situation easily; however, in many circumstances, that is not the case.
Someone who possesses conceit has excessive self-pride—and thus thinks too highly of their abilities.
A man who is debonair is sophisticated, charming, friendly, and confident.
If you describe someone, usually a young woman, as demure, you mean that she is quiet, shy, and always behaves modestly.
Someone who is diffident is shy, does not want to draw notice to themselves, and is lacking in self-confidence.
Effrontery is very rude behavior that shows a great lack of respect and is often insulting.
An egotistical person thinks about or is concerned with no one else other than themself.
An egregious mistake, failure, or problem is an extremely bad and very noticeable one.
If you show exuberance, you display great excitement, energy, and enthusiasm.
When someone flaunts their good looks, they show them off or boast about them in a very proud and shameless way.
If you think someone is showing hubris, you think that they are demonstrating excessive pride and vanity.
Hyperbole is a way of emphasizing something that makes it sound much more impressive or much worse than it actually is.
If someone is impassive, they are not showing any emotion.
When something is implicit, it is understood without having to say it.
Something that is inconspicuous does not attract attention and is not easily seen or noticed because it is small or ordinary.
Someone who is indiscreet shows lack of judgment, especially because they say or do things in public that should only be said or done privately—if at all.
Something that inhibits you from doing something restricts or keeps you from doing it.
If something is inordinate, it is much larger in amount or degree than is normally expected.
When you behave with moderation, you live in a balanced and measured way; you do nothing to excess.
Narcissism is the habit of always thinking about yourself and constantly admiring your own appearance or qualities.
To be politic in a decision is to be socially wise and diplomatic.
If you are pompous, you think that you are better than other people; therefore, you tend to show off and be highly egocentric.
When you are presumptuous, you act improperly, rudely, or without respect, especially while attempting to do something that is not socially acceptable or that you are not qualified to do.
If you are pretentious, you think you are really great in some way and let everyone know about it, despite the fact that it’s not the case at all.
People who are reticent are unwilling to share information, especially about themselves, their thoughts, or their feelings.
When you strut, you move as though you own the world by walking in a confident and showy fashion.
If you behave in a supercilious way, you act as if you were more important or better than everyone else.
If you show temperance, you limit yourself so that you don’t do too much of something; you act in a controlled and well-balanced way.
Someone who is unassuming is not boastful or arrogant; rather, they are modest or humble.
A feeling that is unbridled is enthusiastic and unlimited in its expression.
An action or deed is unconscionable if it is excessively shameful, unfair, or unjust and its effects are more severe than is reasonable or acceptable.
If someone acts in an unobtrusive way, their actions are not easily noticed and do not stand out in any way.
If you are vainglorious, you are very proud of yourself and let other people know about it.
Adj.
overweening
OH-ver-WEE-ning
Context
The pop star’s overweening or excessive pride seems to be at the root of her incredible self-promotion. I think that her vast, overweening ambition is unpleasant—even if it has made her very wealthy. The music industry is famous for creating huge egos and overweening personalities that are just too full of themselves.
Quiz:Try again!
When is someone overweening?
When that person is overly full of self-pride and ambition.
When that person always puts his or her needs first.
When that person is always at the center of attention.
Over Seeing I've had to see that celebrity too much! His love of self has just become way too overweening, because he always wants to be seen, seen, and seen again, as if he's somehow the center of the Universe. This seemingover seeing of this overweening person is making me ill.
Examples
If you favor either candidate, you might speculate that your man wants to do it because he loves his country and sees this as his highest calling. You might also argue that the other candidate is driven by an overweening ego and raw lust for power. And you may be right no matter which candidate you want to win.
—
Lexington County Chronicle
And then, on a Sunday, AT&T announced an audacious $39 billion takeover of its smaller rival—a move that would have made it the nation’s biggest carrier and reduced the number of major American service providers to three from four. . . . Yet the T-Mobile case proved to be one of overweening ambition and an inability to read the political terrain.
—
The New York Times
High on the list of presumptions that Socrates had aimed to unsettle was his fellow citizens’ certainty that their city-state brooked no comparison when it came to outstanding virtue. To be an Athenian, ran a core credo of the polis, was to partake in its aura of moral superiority. Socrates dedicated his life to challenging a confidence that he felt had become overweening.
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The Atlantic
Given the overweening slickness that has coated Bon Jovi’s studio output over the years, it’s nice to hear the band loosen up a little on punchy versions of "You Give Love a Bad Name" and "Bad Medicine."
—
Rolling Stone
When one is guilty of being overweening, one is “thinking above” or “supposing over” a modest or humble state, and thus thinks way too highly of oneself.
origin: Old English
Knowing language of origin or etymology is not important; but is sometimes interesting enough to make the word memorable. Only such words have associated maps.
Word Theater
How I Met Your Mother Barney has an overweening opinion of himself.
The panel shows a small video clip of either the word in actual use or a scene that represents the meaning of a word. This not only breaks up the monotony of studying words but also provides another avenue to strengthen word meaning. Enjoy!
