Bumptiousness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality of being self-assertively arrogant, overbearing, or presumptuous in manner or behavior
2. The state of being aggressively self-confident and annoyingly intrusive in one's dealings with others
3. A manner characterized by excessive self-importance, pushiness, and disregard for others' boundaries or sensibilities

Etymology: Bumptiousness is simply "bumptious" with the suffix "-ness" attached, which turns an adjective into a noun naming a quality. The base adjective is the more interesting part: "bumptious" appears in English as a fairly recent formation, and its sound and sense suggest bluster and self-assertion, qualities it has always carried. Because the suffix does the grammatical work, "bumptiousness" names the state or trait of being bumptious rather than any particular act of showing off. The suffix itself has a long pedigree. "-ness" descends from Old English "-nes", which was used to form abstract nouns from adjectives, so English speakers have been turning descriptive words into nouns of quality for well over a thousand years. Words like "kindness" and "sadness" follow the same pattern, and "bumptiousness" joins that family by the same mechanism.

Synonyms: self-importance, arrogance, conceit, hubris, presumption

Antonyms: humility, modesty, self-effacement, humbleness, meekness