bigheaded

"Bigheaded" (also written "big-headed") is an informal adjective describing someone who is conceited or arrogantly full of themselves — someone whose sense of their own importance has grown larger than their achievements justify. The image behind the word is vivid: the person's head has figuratively swelled with pride. It is typically applied to people who have become insufferable after some success, as in "one hit single and he got really bigheaded." The term carries a mildly derogatory, colloquial tone and appears frequently in casual British and American speech, often in phrases like "don't get bigheaded." Its opposite is humility: a modest person is never called bigheaded. Because it is informal, it suits conversation and light journalism more than formal writing, where words like "conceited" or "arrogant" are preferred.

Conceited or arrogant; having an exaggerated opinion of one's own importance or abilities.

Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.

Etymology of bigheaded

The word is formed transparently from the English adjective "big" plus "head," using the participial suffix "-ed" to create a compound adjective of the same pattern as "bighearted," "bigmouthed," and "swelled-headed." It arose in colloquial English, likely in the 19th century, as part of a productive family of head-and-body metaphors for character traits. The related noun "bighead" predates it and conveys the same idea of an egotistical person.

How bigheaded is actually used

Informal and mildly derogatory; common in everyday British speech especially. Often used with "get" or "become" to describe someone who has become conceited after success.

Easily confused with bigheaded

What's another word for bigheaded?

Words and phrases paired with bigheaded

What's the opposite of bigheaded?

Rhymes with bigheaded