What does hybris mean?
Hybris means excessive pride, arrogant self-importance, or overconfidence in one's own importance. In ordinary discussion, the word suggests a person who is so convinced of their superiority that they become dismissive, overbearing, or blind to criticism. Its connotations are often moral: hybris is not merely confidence, but confidence that has crossed the boundary of proper humility or respect. In Greek tragedy and classical philosophy, the term has a more specific history, describing the dangerous insolence of a mortal who disregards divine authority, social limits, or the natural order. The hero's hybris commonly contributes to a catastrophe, making the word useful in discussions of tragedy, power, religion, and political ambition. Though closely related to pride and arrogance, hybris tends to imply excess and destructive potential, while those broader words can also be used in less dramatic or more neutral contexts.
nounExcessive pride, self-importance, or confidence in one's own superiority. In discussions of Greek tragedy and classical philosophy, it can also denote the insolent disregard of divine or moral authority that provokes downfall.
- Excessive pride or arrogant self-importance.
- In Greek tragedy and classical philosophy, the insolent defiance of divine authority, moral order, or established limits.
"The ruler's hybris led him to challenge the gods and brought ruin upon his kingdom."
"Political leaders who ignore public criticism often display a dangerous degree of hybris."
"The play portrays the hero's hybris as the beginning of his tragic reversal of fortune."
The standard English plural is hybrises, although hybris is usually used in the singular or in the unchanged plural.
"The plays explore two different forms of hybrises, one political and one spiritual."
In ancient Greek tragedy, hybris was the fatal overconfidence that made a hero defy the gods—and pay for it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of hybris
The English word comes through Latin from the ancient Greek noun hybris, written ὕβρις, meaning excessive pride, insolence, or overreach. Greek tragedy developed hybris into a central concept: a mortal's arrogant defiance of the gods or the proper limits of human authority, typically leading to ruin. The word entered English in the late 16th century, and the spelling hubris became a common alternative form in English and an established transliteration of the Greek original.
How hybris is actually used
Hybris is formal and literary rather than everyday. It is especially common in historical, religious, philosophical, and literary criticism, where it may imply pride that exceeds a person's authority, ability, or relationship with the divine.
Easily confused with hybris
Hubris is an alternative spelling of the same word and carries essentially the same meaning.