Arrogant means having an exaggerated sense of your own importance or abilities, combined with a disrespectful attitude toward others. An arrogant person acts like they're better than everyone else and treats other people's thoughts and feelings as if they don't matter.

You can spot arrogance when someone constantly brags, refuses to admit mistakes, or dismisses other people's ideas without really listening. An arrogant student might roll their eyes when a classmate struggles with a math problem, acting superior instead of helpful. An arrogant team captain might ignore suggestions from teammates, convinced only their strategy could possibly work.

Arrogance differs from confidence. A confident person believes in their abilities but still respects others and stays open to learning. An arrogant person can't see past their own superiority. You might be the smartest person in your class, but if you act like everyone else is beneath you, that's arrogance.

People often describe arrogant behavior as cocky or full of hubris. Arrogant people often end up less successful than they imagine because they stop learning, push away potential allies, and make careless mistakes that someone more humble would have avoided.