What does arrogance mean?
Word: Arrogance
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Arrogance means the behaviour of a person who thinks they are more important or cleverer than others and shows it in a rude way.
Synonyms: conceit, vanity, haughtiness
Antonyms: humility, modesty
Word origin: From Latin, from a verb meaning 'to claim for yourself', built on rogare, 'to ask'.
How do you spell arrogance?
Syllables: ar - ro - gance
Tricky part: The ending is -ance, not -ence: students write arrogence because the last vowel is weak.
Watch out for: arrogence, arroganse
Memory tip: Arrogance follows elegance and fragrance: an adjective ending in -ant gives a noun ending in -ance.
Arrogance in a sentence
Example 1: The champion's arrogance cost him the match when he stopped taking his young opponent seriously.
Example 2: Nobody wanted to work with Tarun because of his arrogance in group projects.
Example 3: There is a fine line between confidence and arrogance, our coach often reminds us.
Fun Fact
The ancient Greeks had a word, hubris, for extreme arrogance that offends the gods; English uses hubris today for pride that leads to a downfall.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the word in which both blanks take the same letter:
a) o_ _ect
b) a_ _mire
c) e_ _ape
d) a_ _ogance
Show answer
d) a_ _ogance. The first word takes r in both blanks; escape needs s and c, object b and j, and admire d and m.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with the correct options:
1. arrogance 2. diligence 3. resilience a. the ability to recover quickly from difficulties b. careful and steady hard work c. looking down on others from a height of pride
a) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
b) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
c) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
d) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
Show answer
c) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a. Rude pride, steady effort and bouncing back match arrogance, diligence and resilience.
Spell Spies
Choose the misspelt word/s in the given sentence:
Nobody enjoyed the captain's arrogance, but the team still won the tournament by a narow margin.
a) only arrogance
b) captain and tournament
c) arrogance and narow
d) only narow
Show answer
d) only narow. Narrow needs a double r; arrogance is spelt correctly in this sentence.
Jumble Tumble
What is the meaning of the word that can be formed from the given letters?
conagerra
a) a feeling of calm after a long day
b) the ability to speak several languages
c) the habit of acting as if you matter more than everyone else
d) great care taken to finish a task well
Show answer
c) the habit of acting as if you matter more than everyone else. Rearranged, these nine letters give arrogance, the opposite of humility.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which action shows arrogance?
a) asking a teacher for help
b) ignoring advice because you know best
c) praising a rival's skill
d) thanking your team after a win
Show answer
b) ignoring advice because you know best
2. Which proverb warns against arrogance?
a) The early bird catches the worm.
b) Pride comes before a fall.
c) Practice makes perfect.
d) Many hands make light work.
Show answer
b) Pride comes before a fall.
