orgueilleux

Orgueilleux is a French adjective used to describe a person who displays excessive pride or self-importance. It carries a negative connotation and is often used to criticize arrogance. The feminine form is orgueilleuse, and the adverb is orgueilleusement.

The word derives from the noun orgueil, meaning pride or loftiness. Both terms have a long history in French, with the sense of vanity and arrogance embedded in the adjective as a marker of negative judgment about a person’s behavior.

Common synonyms include hautain, prétentieux, and vaniteux, depending on nuance. The word is typically contrasted with more neutral or positive terms such as fier (proud) and with modest antonyms like modeste or humble. Orgueilleux is generally applied to people rather than animals, and its use often signals moral or evaluative judgment.

Usage notes: orgueilleux is frequent in literary, religious, and journalistic contexts where pride is portrayed as a fault or flaw. In everyday speech, it can describe someone who boasts, refuses to admit fault, or acts with conspicuous self-importance. It can be softened to orgueilleuse or orgueilleusement to match gender and grammatical context, or replaced by subtler terms like fier or sûr de soi when a less condemnatory tone is desired.

Examples:

- Il est orgueilleux de ses accomplissements.

- Elle parle d’une manière orgueilleuse.

- Son attitude, orgueilleusement affichée, aliéna ses collègues.