Conceited

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Showing a strong and often unjustified belief in one's own importance or abilities
2. Displaying an overconfident attitude characterized by an inflated sense of self-worth
3. Having an arrogant or vain view of oneself that exceeds reasonable self-assessment

Etymology: Conceited is simply "conceit" with the suffix "-ed" added, and the more interesting history lies in the noun. "Conceit" came into English as a shortened form of "conceite," a Middle English word meaning a notion or idea, borrowed through Old French "concevoir" from Latin "concipere," to take in or conceive. Its root is a fusion of "com-" (together) and "capere" (to take), so the original sense was of grasping something mentally. Over time the noun drifted from "a thought or fancy" toward "a high opinion of oneself." The adjective "conceited" follows from this later sense, and it is formed from "conceit" with the English past-participle ending "-ed." Note that the verb-like ending does not mean the word was ever a verb in English; it is simply the attached suffix. The word "conceited" once carried a neutral or even positive sense of being full of clever ideas, and its current meaning of vanity developed from that older, more intellectual usage.

Synonyms: arrogant, vain, proud

Antonyms: humble, modest