Meaning & use
hubris
Last updated
UK/ˈhjuːbrɪs/
US/ˈhjuːbrɪs/
Meaning
noununcountabledisapproving
Overconfident pride, especially the kind that makes a person ignore limits and invites a downfall.
Grammar: No plural and no article: it was hubris.
Patterns
- the hubris of someone
- hubris leads to something
The company's hubris led it to ignore early warning signs.
It was hubris to think the project could finish in a week.
In the tragedy, the king's hubris brings about his ruin.
Common combinations
- sheer hubris
- Entering the race untrained was sheer hubris.
- tragic hubris
- The hero's tragic hubris sealed his fate.
- hubris and nemesis
- The play explores hubris and nemesis.
- corporate hubris
- Corporate hubris blinded the bank to the risks.
- suffer from hubris
- The team suffered from hubris after three wins.
Synonyms and how they differ
- arrogance
- Arrogance is a general attitude of superiority, whereas hubris implies a fall is coming.
- pride
- Pride can be positive, but hubris is always excessive.
- conceit
- Conceit is about a high opinion of oneself, not necessarily with disastrous results.
- overconfidence
- Overconfidence is plainer and lacks the grand, tragic tone of hubris.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: hubris or humility?
hubris vs humility
Humility is the opposite quality: a modest view of oneself.
Practice
The general ignored his advisers' warnings out of ___, and his army was defeated.
Choose one answer.
Hubris means arrogant overconfidence. Humility and caution would have led him to listen.
Make it your own
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