What does hubris mean?
Hubris denotes an excessive and often dangerous form of pride. It describes a person who is so confident in their own abilities, importance, or power that they become overconfident, dismissive of advice, or willing to overreach. The word is especially common in literary, historical, political, and philosophical contexts, where it emphasizes the moral consequences of misplaced self-importance. Unlike pride, which can be positive and healthy, hubris is inherently negative: it suggests that pride has crossed a line into arrogance or recklessness. In Greek tragedy, hubris describes the dangerous overreach of a mortal who believes themselves superior to the gods or to the limits of human life. The term is also widely used in modern commentary to describe political overconfidence, corporate excess, and public figures who underestimate opposition or criticism. Because it conveys both self-regard and its potentially disastrous consequences, hubris is a precise word for failures of judgment rooted in excessive pride.
nounExcessive pride in one's abilities, status, or power, often accompanied by overconfidence and a disregard for others.
- Excessive pride, self-confidence, or self-importance, especially when it leads to overreach or disregard for others.
"The ruler's hubris led him to underestimate his enemies and ultimately brought about his downfall."
"His success bred hubris, and he dismissed warnings that his business was becoming dangerously overextended."
"The novel examines the ruler's hubris and the disastrous consequences of his refusal to recognize human limitations."
Hubris is usually uncountable; hubrises is a rare plural used mainly in formal or literary contexts.
"The play portrays several hubrises among rulers who mistake privilege for invulnerability."
In Greek tragedy, hubris is not simply confidence: it is the mortal overreach that turns a hero into a cautionary tale.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Words that share this root
Related word forms
How hubris is actually used
Hubris is primarily a formal and literary term. It is more forceful and more clearly critical than pride, carrying the suggestion of excessive self-importance, overconfidence, and disregard for consequences or other people.
Easily confused with hubris
Arrogance refers more broadly to haughty or overbearing behavior, whereas hubris emphasizes excessive pride and self-importance that can lead to disastrous overreach.
Pride can be a legitimate sense of satisfaction or self-respect, while hubris is specifically pride that has become excessive, overconfident, or dangerously disregardful of others.