Meanings
- gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of overbear
comparative more overbearing · superlative most overbearing
- Overly bossy, domineering, arrogant, forceful, intense, or annoying.
In the same year, 1844, negotiations were begun to strengthen the North Union's position by an amalgamation with the Liverpool & Manchester and Grand Junction companies, but at the eleventh hour the shareholders took exception to the rather overbearing ways of the Grand Junction, and backed out.
1960 February 28, M. D. Greville and G. O. Holt, “Railway Development in Preston—1”, in Railway Magazine, page 100Synonyms: demanding, dictatorial, dominant, haughty, high-handed
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveOverly bossy, domineering, arrogant, forceful, intense, or annoying.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveexpecting unquestioning obedience
adjectivehaving or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From overbear (“to bear down (on)”) + -ing.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic مُتَسَلِّط
- مُتَسَلِّط (mutasalliṭ)overly bossy or domineering
Bulgarian властен, повелителен
- властен (vlasten)overly bossy or domineering
- повелителен (povelitelen)overly bossy or domineering
Chinese Mandarin 蠻橫 /蛮横, 霸道
- 蠻橫 /蛮横 (mánhèng)overly bossy or domineering
- 霸道 (bàdào)overly bossy or domineering
- 盛氣凌人的 (shèngqìlíngrén de)overly bossy or domineering
Finnish määräilevä, komenteleva
- määräileväoverly bossy or domineering
- komentelevaoverly bossy or domineering
French dominateur, despotique
- dominateuroverly bossy or domineering
- despotiqueoverly bossy or domineering
German anmaßend, herrisch
- anmaßendoverly bossy or domineering
- herrischoverly bossy or domineering
- überheblichoverly bossy or domineering
Hebrew דומיננטי, שתלטן
- דומיננטיoverly bossy or domineering
- שתלטןoverly bossy or domineering
Hungarian erőszakos, arrogáns
- erőszakosoverly bossy or domineering
- arrogánsoverly bossy or domineering
- basáskodóoverly bossy or domineering
- hatalmaskodóoverly bossy or domineering
- zsarnokoskodóoverly bossy or domineering
- pöffeszkedőoverly bossy or domineering
- fennhéjázóoverly bossy or domineering
Irish anúdarásach, forbhríoch
- anúdarásachoverly bossy or domineering
- forbhríochoverly bossy or domineering
- iomarcachoverly bossy or domineering
- stróinéiseachoverly bossy or domineering
- tiarnúiloverly bossy or domineering
Latin imperiōsus
- imperiōsusoverly bossy or domineering
Māori tuanui, hākiki
- tuanuioverly bossy or domineering
- hākikioverly bossy or domineering
- ngarengareoverly bossy or domineering
Polish arogancki
- aroganckioverly bossy or domineering
Portuguese prepotente, arrogante
- prepotenteoverly bossy or domineering
- arroganteoverly bossy or domineering
Russian вла́стный
- вла́стный (vlástnyj)overly bossy or domineering
Spanish oprimente, subyugante
- oprimenteoverly bossy or domineering
- subyuganteoverly bossy or domineering
- prepotenteoverly bossy or domineering
- despóticooverly bossy or domineering
- imperiosooverly bossy or domineering
- dominanteoverly bossy or domineering
Swedish högdragen
- högdragenoverly bossy or domineering
Cite this entry
overbearing. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/overbearing
“overbearing.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/overbearing. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “overbearing,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/overbearing.
Source: overbearing on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.