supercilious — English Dictionary

Adjective

1. Arrogantly superior; showing contemptuous indifference; haughty.

   Examples

   [H]is ſupercilious glances grevv humbled, yea, his dazeling ſplendor (eclipſt in the ſetting [i.e., death] of his Maſter) becomes quickly darkned: […]

   More examples (1)

   "I've tried to be a good man, sir, and do my duty honest, and if it wasn't for the supercilus^([sic]) kind of way in which father carried on last night - a sort of sniffing at me as it were, as though he hadn't no opinion of my references and testimonials - I should feel easy enough in my mind."

   Now he was a sturdy, straw haired man of thirty with a rather hard mouth and a supercilious manner.

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   Buffeted by criticism of his policy on Europe, battered by rebellion in the ranks over his bill to legalize same-sex marriage and wounded by the perception that he is supercilious, contemptuous and out of touch with mainstream Conservatism, Mr. Cameron earlier this week took the highly unusual step of sending a mass e-mail (or, as he called it, “a personal note”) to his party’s grass-roots members.

Adjective

1. having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy

   Synonyms

   disdainfulhaughtyimperiouslordlyoverbearingpridefulsniffyswaggering

   Examples

   some economists are disdainful of their colleagues in other social disciplines

   haughty aristocrats

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   his lordly manners were offensive

   walked with a prideful swagger

   very sniffy about breaches of etiquette

   his mother eyed my clothes with a supercilious air

2. expressive of contempt

   Synonyms

   sneeringsnide

   Examples

   curled his lip in a supercilious smile

   spoke in a sneering jeering manner

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   makes many a sharp comparison but never a mean or snide one