Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- To think too highly or confidently, especially of one's self; be arrogantly conceited; presume: now chiefly in the present participle.
- To make conceited or arrogant.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb To think too highly or arrogantly; to regard one's own thinking or conclusions too highly; hence, to be egotistic, arrogant, or rash, in opinion; to think conceitedly; to presume.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb ergative To think too
highly or arrogantly of (oneself). - verb To make or render
arrogant andoverweening . - verb proscribed To
overwhelm .
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
From Middle English overwēnen ("To be presumptuous, be over-confident; presume"), from Old English oferwennan ("ang") and Old English oferwenian ("to be proud, become insolent, or presumptuous").
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Examples
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[3972] Magna petis Phaeton et quae non viribus istis, &c., as James and John, the sons of Zebedee, did ask they knew not what: nescis temerarie nescis; thou dost, as another Suffenus, overween thyself; thou art wise in thine own conceit, but in other more mature judgment altogether unfit to manage such a business.
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Some are too partial, as friends to overween, others come with a prejudice to carp, vilify, detract, and scoff;
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"I am the servant of a distant queen Who can overween and intervene Can we finally make her obsolete?
Quintesabd commented on the word overween
Haughty personalities always overween themselves to others.
December 14, 2016