supercilious

WOTD - 21 March 2007    

English

Etymology

From Latin supercilium (“eyebrow, loftiness in demeanour”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˌsuː.pə(ɹ)ˈsɪ.li.əs/, /ˌsjuː.pə(ɹ)ˈsɪ.li.əs/, SAMPA: /%su:.p@.(r\)"sI.li.@s/, /%sju:.p@(r\)"sI.li.@s/
• (US) IPA: /ˌsuːpɚˈsɪliəs/, SAMPA: /%sU:p@`"sIli@s/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪliəs

Adjective

supercilious (comparative more supercilious, superlative most supercilious)

1. Arrogantly superior; showing contemptuous indifference; haughty.

"Now he was a sturdy, straw haired man of thirty with a rather hard mouth and a supercilious manner." --F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, Chapter 1

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:arrogant

Translations

haughty

Armenian: Old Armenian: հպարտ (hpart), սէգ (sēg) Bulgarian: арогантен (bg) (arogánten) Dutch: hooghartig (nl), denigrerend (nl), hautain (nl) French: hautain (fr) German: arrogant (de), hochmütig (de), hochnäsig (de), anmaßend (de), herablassend (de) Greek: υπεροπτικός (el) (yperoptikós)

Ido: superba (io) Italian: altezzoso (it), sdegnoso (it) Latin: superbus (la) Russian: надменный (ru) (nadm'énnyj), высокомерный (ru) (vysokom'érnyj) Scottish Gaelic: àrdanach (gd) Spanish: altivo (es)