Supercilious

Pronunciation: /ˌsuːpərˈsɪliəs/

Definitions of supercilious

adjective behaving or looking as though one thinks one is superior to others

Example Sentences

A1 She acted supercilious towards her classmates, making them feel uncomfortable.

A2 The supercilious attitude of the salesperson turned off potential customers.

B1 His supercilious behavior at the meeting alienated his colleagues.

B2 The supercilious tone of the article made it difficult to take the author seriously.

C1 The CEO's supercilious demeanor towards the employees created a hostile work environment.

C2 Despite her intelligence, her supercilious nature made it hard for others to connect with her.

Examples of supercilious in a Sentence

formal Her supercilious attitude towards her colleagues made it difficult for them to work together.

informal I can't stand how supercilious he acts around us.

slang She's always so supercilious, thinking she's better than everyone else.

figurative His supercilious smirk spoke volumes about his arrogance.

Grammatical Forms of supercilious

• past tense: supercilioused
• plural: superciliouses
• comparative: more supercilious
• superlative: most supercilious
• present tense: supercilious
• future tense: will be supercilious
• perfect tense: have been supercilious
• continuous tense: is being supercilious
• singular: supercilious
• positive degree: supercilious
• infinitive: to be supercilious
• gerund: superciliousing
• participle: supercilioused

Origin and Evolution of supercilious

First Known Use: 1548 year

Language of Origin: Latin

Story behind the word: The word 'supercilious' originated from the Latin word 'super' meaning above, and 'cilium' meaning eyelid or eyebrow, which combined to convey the idea of raising an eyebrow in haughty disdain.

Evolution of the word: Originally used to describe someone who looked down on others with a raised eyebrow, 'supercilious' has evolved to also encompass an attitude of superiority or arrogance in behavior and speech.