Sophomania

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The irrational conviction of possessing greater intelligence than others can result in unfounded confidence in knowledge and judgment
2. A false belief in one’s own intellectual superiority often leads to overconfidence and dismissal of differing opinions
3. A mental state characterized by an unfounded belief that one is intellectually superior to others

Etymology: "Sophomania" is built from two Greek elements: "sophos," meaning wise or clever, and "mania," a word for madness, frenzy or an overpowering obsession. Joined together, the pieces suggest a craving for cleverness taken to the point of compulsion, which is exactly the sense the word carries today: an inflated, often showy belief in one's own intellectual superiority. The "-mania" ending is the more productive half. English has borrowed it from Greek in many formations, from "kleptomania" to "bibliomania," each naming an excessive, almost irrational fixation. Attaching it to "sopho-" follows that same pattern, turning a respectable quality into a kind of affliction. The result is a word that mocks the know-it-all rather than praising the scholar.