adjective
- Having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy."some economists are disdainful of their colleagues in other social disciplines"; "haughty aristocrats"; "his lordly manners were offensive"; "walked with a prideful swagger"; "very sniffy about breaches of etiquette"; "his mother eyed my clothes with a supercilious air"; "a more swaggering mood than usual- W. L. Shirer
- synonyms: disdainful, haughty, imperious, lordly, overbearing, prideful, sniffy, swaggering
- Expressive of contempt.
- usage: "curled his lip in a supercilious smile"; "spoke in a sneering jeering manner"; "makes many a sharp comparison but never a mean or snide one"
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
| APA | WordNet. (2010). supercilious. Retrieved September 22, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/supercilious/definitions/1184769 |
| Chicago | WordNet. 2010. "supercilious" http://smartdefine.org/supercilious/definitions/1184769 (accessed September 22, 2026). |
| Harvard | WordNet 2010, supercilious, Smart Define, viewed 22 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/supercilious/definitions/1184769>. |
| MLA | WordNet. "supercilious" 23 October 2010. Web. 22 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/supercilious/definitions/1184769> |