Meanings
- uncountableThe state or quality of being supercilious.
His little eyes glittered like mica discs with curiosity, though he tried to keep up a bit of superciliousness.
1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part I, page 2142 more examples
...and externally more resembling her mother than any of her sisters, though she lacked Lady Anne's commanding height and that cast of countenance which indicated powerful intellect, but was unfortunately mingled with pride and superciliousness, which was the extreme reverse of Mary's expression.
1842, [anonymous collaborator of Letitia Elizabeth Landon], chapter XLIX, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 4He saw Dr. Simon, a typical French scientist, with glasses, a pointed brown beard, and a forehead barred with those parallel wrinkles which are the penalty of superciliousness, since they come through constantly elevating the eyebrows.
1911, G. K. Chesterton, “The Secret Garden”, in The Innocence of Father Brown
Synonyms & antonyms
nounthe trait of displaying arrogance by patronizing those considered inferior
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Polish buta, wyniosłość
- butastate or quality of being supercilious
- wyniosłośćstate or quality of being supercilious
- zarozumiałośćstate or quality of being supercilious
Cite this entry
superciliousness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/superciliousness
“superciliousness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/superciliousness. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “superciliousness,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/superciliousness.
Source: superciliousness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.