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bumptious

adjective
bump·​tious | \ ˈbÉ™m(p)-shÉ™s How to pronounce bumptious (audio) \

Definition of bumptious

: presumptuously, obtusely, and often noisily self-assertive : obtrusive
Other Words from bumptious Synonyms & Antonyms How Should You Use bumptious? Example Sentences Learn More about bumptious

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Other Words from bumptious

bumptiously adverb
bumptiousness noun

How Should You Use bumptious?

Etymologists believe that bumptious was probably coined, perhaps playfully, from the noun bump plus -tious. (Think of the obtrusive way an overly assertive person might "bump" through a crowd.) When bumptious was first used around 1800, it meant "conceited." Charles Dickens used it that way in David Copperfield: "His hair was very smooth and wavy; but I was informed … that it was a wig … and that he needn't be so 'bounceable'—somebody else said 'bumptious'—about it, because his own red hair was very plainly to be seen behind."

Examples of bumptious in a Sentence

a bumptious young man whose family wealth gave him a sense of entitlement

Recent Examples on the Web

 The brief, bumptious chapters cover roughly a year, and the lead player doesn't come of age so much as rip away childhood's masks. — John Domini, Dallas News, "An Italian teenager meets the family she didn't know existed in 'A Girl Returned'," 1 July 2019 The brief, bumptious chapters cover roughly a year, and the lead player doesn’t come of age so much as rip away childhood’s masks. — John Domini, Washington Post, "A teenager meets the family she didn’t know existed in ‘A Girl Returned’," 13 June 2019 Tenor Alex Otterburn was a bumptious, aggressive Eddy; Susan Bullock, Allison Cook and Andrew Shore played all the other characters with properly broad strokes. — Heidi Waleson, WSJ, "‘The Head & the Load’ and ‘Greek’ Reviews," 10 Dec. 2018 More than a few commentators have noted the contrast between the manager and the bumptious politicians fighting with one another over Brexit. — Ceylan Yeginsu, New York Times, "World Cup Brings England Together at a Time of Division," 10 July 2018 His threat to pull the U.S. out of NAFTA strikes me, and many others, as the sort of bumptious sound bite geared to stirring enthusiasm among a key class of his constituents. — John Gallagher, Detroit Free Press, "Trump's tariffs plan will hurt car buyers, automakers," 24 May 2018 Americans are not afraid of bumptious, raucous and robust debate about these matters. — Washington Post, "Judge: Assault weapons ban doesn’t violate 2nd Amendment," 6 Apr. 2018 Americans are not afraid of bumptious, raucous and robust debate about these matters. — Alanna Durkin Richer, chicagotribune.com, "Massachusetts assault weapons ban doesn't violate 2nd Amendment, judge says," 6 Apr. 2018 Americans are not afraid of bumptious, raucous and robust debate about these matters. — CBS News, "Assault weapons ban doesn't violate 2nd Amendment, judge says," 6 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bumptious.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of bumptious

1801, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for bumptious

bump entry 1 + -tious (as in fractious)

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More Definitions for bumptious

bumptious

adjective
How to pronounce bumptious (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of bumptious

disapproving : proud or confident in a loud and rude way that annoys other people

See the full definition for bumptious in the English Language Learners Dictionary

More from Merriam-Webster on bumptious

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for bumptious

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