- Today's Word
Overweening
oh-ver-WEE-ning
Definition
(adjective) Showing excessive confidence or pride; arrogant and presumptuous.
Example
His overweening ambition led him to make promises he couldn’t possibly keep.
Word Origin
Middle English: from “over-” + “weening” (present participle of “ween” meaning “to think or suppose”), from Old English “wēnan.”
Fun Fact
Overweening captures a specific flavor of arrogance—not just confidence but confidence that exceeds what’s warranted or appropriate. The “weening” part comes from an old word for thinking or supposing, so someone overweening literally thinks too much of themselves. Greek tragedies warned against overweening pride as hubris that angered the gods. Politicians and CEOs are frequently accused of overweening ambition when their reach exceeds their grasp. The word suggests not just excessive pride but a dangerous blindness to one’s own limitations—the kind of arrogance that precedes a fall.
