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presumptuous

adjective
pre·​sump·​tu·​ous | \ pri-ˈzÉ™m(p)-chÉ™-wÉ™s How to pronounce presumptuous (audio) , -chÉ™s, -shÉ™s\

Definition of presumptuous

: overstepping due bounds (as of propriety or courtesy) : taking liberties
Other Words from presumptuous Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about presumptuous

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Other Words from presumptuous

presumptuously adverb
presumptuousness noun

Synonyms & Antonyms for presumptuous

Synonyms

bold, familiar, forward, free, immodest, overfamiliar, presuming

Antonyms

modest, unassuming

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Examples of presumptuous in a Sentence

To Yale University, he was David Sneed. And some people called him that. Close friends called him Marc. Not wanting to appear presumptuous, I tried not to commit to either, waiting instead for a signal. — Peter Beinart, New Republic, 22 Jan. 1996 Professor Stegner mistook me, I fear, for an anti-intellectual, not understanding that I was in fact something far less presumptuous—a near-illiterate, especially compared to the rest of his blue-chip roster. — Ken Kesey, New York Times Book Review, 31 Dec. 1989 To spy out the shape of God's Heaven was superfluous, presumptuous, and might prove blasphemous. Galileo was no better than a theological Peeping Tom. — Daniel J. Boorstin, The Discoverers, 1983 it's a little presumptuous of you to assume that I'm your new best friend just because I invited you along the presumptuous doctor didn't even bother to explain to me the treatment that I would be receiving
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Recent Examples on the Web

 In his department at Penn, colleagues and students who saw past the presumptuous veneer that overlaid his interactions with them came away with the impression that there was something unearned about his eminence. — Benjamin Moser, Harper's magazine, "Regarding the Pen of Others," 19 Aug. 2019 The Kardashians and Jenners have learned to tune out the haters, like trolls who make unsolicited, presumptuous comments about their appearances. — Marci Robin, Allure, "Kylie Jenner Is Being Body-Shamed by Trolls Comparing Her Butt to a "Full Diaper"," 17 Aug. 2019 Their main customer was DOD's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which originally dubbed them Project Sunrise—a name that seemed presumptuous to them. — Ann Finkbeiner, Science | AAAS, "Jason—a secretive group of Cold War science advisers—is fighting to survive in the 21st century," 27 June 2019 Somehow, one commenter interpreted this as an invitation to make presumptuous remarks about the 21-year-old actor's appearance. — Marci Robin, Allure, "Ariel Winter Shut Down a Troll Who Said She "Obviously" Got a Lot of Plastic Surgery," 10 May 2019 The main problem with YouTube’s presumptuous announcement, Mr. Jemielniak suggested, is that Wikipedia is not necessarily geared toward breaking news — and conspiracy theories tend to move at lightning speed during times of crisis. — John Herrman, New York Times, "YouTube May Add to the Burdens of Humble Wikipedia," 19 Mar. 2018 And, after a strong response from the Liverpool Echo, which labelled Mafham's piece 'vile, presumptuous and repugnant' and Liverpool city mayor Joe Anderson, the newspaper issued a public statement apologising unreservedly. — SI.com, "Daily Express Apologises to Liverpool Over 'Ill-Informed & Wrong' Response to Attack on Innocent Fan," 27 Apr. 2018 But in the same way that western settlers came to the real American frontier seeing an empty landscape, Barlow’s metaphor making was presumptuous. — Jesse Jarnow, WIRED, "The Ghost of John Perry Barlow Lives in His Posthumous Memoir," 5 June 2018 But Herzog warned that any attempt by Starbucks to extend that conversation beyond the workforce risked seeming presumptuous and could have significant consequences. — Janelle Nanos, BostonGlobe.com, "Starbucks briefly closes most of its stores for antibias training," 30 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'presumptuous.' 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 presumptuous

14th century, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for presumptuous

Middle English, from Anglo-French presumptious, from Late Latin praesumptuosus, irregular from praesumptio — see presume

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More Definitions for presumptuous

presumptuous

adjective
How to pronounce presumptuous (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of presumptuous

formal : too confident especially in a way that is rude : done or made without permission, right, or good reason

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

presumptuous

adjective
pre·​sump·​tu·​ous | \ pri-ˈzÉ™mp-chÉ™-wÉ™s How to pronounce presumptuous (audio) \

Kids Definition of presumptuous

: going beyond what is proper It would be presumptuous to ask personal questions.

Other Words from presumptuous

presumptuously adverb
presumptuousness noun

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More from Merriam-Webster on presumptuous

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for presumptuous

Spanish Central: Translation of presumptuous

Nglish: Translation of presumptuous for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of presumptuous for Arabic Speakers

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