Word of the Day Archive
Friday January 26, 2007
overweening \oh-vur-WEE-ning\ , adjective:
1. Overbearing; arrogant; presumptuous.
2. Excessive; immoderate; exaggerated.
In a story as old as the Greeks, overweening pride brought condign disaster.
-- David Frum, How We Got Here
She was warring with her children, having pushed them away with her overweening possessiveness.
-- James Fox, Five Sisters
Overweening personal ambition is no virtue; but while I had it, I could have danced on a bed of nails.
-- Joyce Maynard, At Home in the World
Overweening is from Middle English overwening, present participle of overwenen, "to be arrogant," from over + wenen "to ween," from Old English wenan.
Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation for overweening
