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Antonyms for proud


Grammar : Adj
Spell : proud
Phonetic Transcription : praʊd



Definition of proud

Origin :
  • late Old English prud, prute "excellent, splendid; arrogant, haughty," probably from Old French prud, oblique case of adjective prouz "brave, valiant" (11c., Modern French preux; cf. prud'homme "brave man"), from Late Latin prode "advantageous, profitable" (cf. Italian prode "valiant"), a back-formation from Latin prodesse "be useful," from pro- "before, for, instead of" (see pro-) + esse "to be" (see essence). Also cf. pride (n.), prowess.
  • Meaning "elated by some act, fact, or thing" is from mid-13c. To do (someone) proud attested by 1819. Related: Proudness. "The -d- in prodesse is probably due to the influence of forms like red-eo-, 'I go back,' red-imo- 'I buy back,' etc." [OED]. The Old English form with -te probably is from or influenced by pride.
  • The sense of "have a high opinion of oneself," not found in Old French, might reflect the Anglo-Saxons' opinion of the Norman knights who called themselves "proud." Old Norse pruðr, probably from the same French source, had only the sense "brave, gallant, magnificent, stately" (cf. Icelandic pruður, Middle Swedish prudh, Middle Danish prud). Likewise a group of "pride" words in the Romance languages -- e.g. French orgueil, Italian orgoglio, Spanish orgullo -- are borrowings from Germanic, where they had positive senses (cf. Old High German urgol "distinguished").
  • Most Indo-European languages use the same word for "proud" in its good and bad senses, but in many the bad sense seems to be the earlier one. The usual way to form the word is by some compound of terms for "over" or "high" and words for "heart," "mood," "thought," or "appearance;" e.g. Greek hyperephanos, literally "over-appearing;" Gothic hauhþuhts, literally "high-conscience." Old English had ofermodig "over-moody" ("mood" in Anglo-Saxon was a much more potent word than presently) and heahheort "high-heart." Words for "proud" in other Indo-European languages sometimes reflect a physical sense of being swollen or puffed up; cf. Welsh balch, probably from a root meaning "to swell," and Modern Greek kamari, from ancient Greek kamarou "furnish with a vault or arched cover," with a sense evolution via "make an arch," to "puff out the chest," to "be puffed up" (cf. English slang chesty).
  • adj pleased, pleasing
  • adj arrogant, self-important
Example sentences :
  • Mrs. Higbee hovered near him with an air of proud ownership.
  • Extract from : « The Spenders » by Harry Leon Wilson
  • "You'll be too proud to walk with your ould mother," said Mrs. Malone.
  • Extract from : « Brave and Bold » by Horatio Alger
  • And if we look to the condition of individuals what a proud spectacle does it exhibit!
  • Extract from : « United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches » by Various
  • Who would not be proud of such a relation as Miss Clarissa Harlowe?
  • Extract from : « Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9) » by Samuel Richardson
  • You're a proud man; you've never quit a trail yet before the end of it.
  • Extract from : « Way of the Lawless » by Max Brand
  • The second third of this century has been a time of proud achievement.
  • Extract from : « United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches » by Various
  • He was besides too proud to manifest his interest in the special contents of this letter.
  • Extract from : « Weighed and Wanting » by George MacDonald
  • He had been proud of his children: they were like those of any common stock!
  • Extract from : « Weighed and Wanting » by George MacDonald
  • Giggleswick is also the proud possessor of a school founded in 1512.
  • Extract from : « Yorkshire Painted And Described » by Gordon Home
  • They have the ferocity of a chained dog, and are proud of it.
  • Extract from : « A Treatise on Parents and Children » by George Bernard Shaw

Synonyms for proud

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019