Superb Used to Mean Arrogant
Superb means excellent. The Latin original meant proud or haughty, and the word only became a compliment in English.
Superb means excellent, of the highest quality. Latin *superbus* was not flattering: it meant proud, haughty, overbearing — the adjective Romans attached to Tarquin the Proud, the last king of Rome. English borrowed it for grand architecture, and grandeur slid into approval. A word for arrogance became a word for praise.
- Excellent. *A superb performance.*
- Magnificent in scale. *A superb building.*
- Superbly — the adverb. *Superbly executed.*
- Latin sense — proud, haughty. *Tarquinius Superbus.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Adjective | superb | A superb result. |
| Adverb | superbly | She played superbly. |
| Latin root | superbus | Proud. |
| Related | super | Super quality. |
| Related | superior | A superior model. |
- The food was superb.Everyday praise.
- A superb example of Georgian design.Architecture, closer to the old grandeur.
- Tarquinius Superbus was expelled in 509 BC.The Latin sense: the Proud.
Words that improved in meaning
- Superb — from arrogant to excellent
- Nice — from ignorant, through fussy, to pleasant
- Terrific — from causing terror to very good
- Fantastic — from existing only in imagination to wonderful
- The process is called amelioration; the opposite is pejoration
Latin *superbus*, proud, from *super*, above. English took it in the 1500s for grand or imposing things, and the sense of general excellence followed.
Did superb ever mean arrogant in English?
Briefly, in early use. English mostly took the sense of magnificence and let the arrogance fall away.
What is amelioration in language?
When a word's meaning becomes more positive over time. Nice, terrific and superb are all examples.