overweening

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster

Arts, Literature, Language Courses, Education

4.3 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 19 December 2023

⏱️ 2 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 19, 2023 is:

overweening • \oh-ver-WEE-ning\ • adjective

To describe someone as overweening is to say that they are arrogant and unduly proud. Overweening also disapprovingly describes qualities or desires, such as greed or ambition, that are seen as excessive.

// It’s hard for people to believe every word in speeches by overweening politicians.

See the entry >

Examples:

“Most people in recovery take extensive inventories without professional help, though a skilled professional can often help scrape away remnants of denial and search more deeply for underlying features of many defects, such as hidden insecurities powering a person’s overweening pride.” — Timmen L. Cermak, Psychology Today, 6 Sept. 2023

Did you know?

“The overweening conceit which the greater part of men have of their own abilities is an ancient evil remarked by the philosophers and moralists of all ages.” So wrote the Scottish philosopher Adam Smith in The Wealth of Nations. But while overweening conceit might be an age-old evil, the word overweening is of 14th century vintage. It developed from a form of the Middle English verb overwenen, meaning “to be arrogant.” That term built on wenen, meaning “to think” or “to suppose.” Today, the adjective overweening is the most widely used of the wenen descendants, but historical texts also occasionally include the verb overween, meaning “to think too highly of one’s own opinion.” It was also possible at one time to ween just enough, without overdoing it. All things in moderation—even self-esteem—after all.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	It's Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 19th.
0:11.2	Today's word is overweening, spelled as one word, O-V-E-R-W-E-E-N-I-G.
0:19.2	Overweening is an adjective. To describe someone as overweening is to say that they are arrogant and unduly proud.
0:27.0	Overweening also disapprovenly describes qualities or desires such as greed or ambition that are seen as excessive.
0:35.0	Here's the word used in a sentence from psychology today.
0:39.0	Most people in recovery take extensive inventories without professional help,
0:45.0	though a skilled professional can often help scrape away remnants of denial and
0:50.0	search more deeply for underlying features of many defects, such as hidden
0:55.2	insecurities powering a person's overweening pride. Adam Smith, the
1:00.6	Scottish philosopher, wrote in The Wealth of Nations, the Overweening conceit which the greater part of men have of their own abilities is an ancient evil remarked by the philosophers and moralists of all ages. But while overweening conceit might be an age-old evil,
1:19.4	the word overweening is of 14th century vintage. It developed from a form of the middle English
1:25.7	verb over Weninin meaning to be arrogant. That term built on Wenin meaning to think or to
1:32.1	suppose. Today the adjective overweinin, meaning to think or to suppose. Today, the adjective overweening is the most widely
1:36.4	used of the Wenin descendants, but historical texts also occasionally include the verb overween, meaning to think too highly of one's own opinion.
1:46.6	It was also possible at one time to wean just enough without overdoing it, all things in moderation, even self-esteem after all.
1:56.4	With your word of the day I'm Peter Sokolowski.
2:01.8	Visit Merriam Webster.com today for definition. Visit Marion Webster
2:02.8	Webster.com today for definitions, word play, and trending word lookups.

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Merriam-Webster, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Merriam-Webster and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.