Word of the Day: Hubris

[hyoo-brəs]

Part of speech: Noun

Origin: Greek, 19th century

Definitions: Excessive pride or arrogance; Overconfidence leading to an eventual downfall

Examples of Hubris in a sentence

“His hubris would not allow him to read the instructions. Consequently, his new TV fell off the wall an hour after he installed it.”

“Some professional athletes suffer from hubris and assume that their money will last forever.”

About Hubris

One of the most famous examples of hubris, or excessive pride and self-confidence, is told in John Milton’s “Paradise Lost,” in which Lucifer’s pride in seeing himself as wiser than God results in him being cast out into Hell and becoming the devil.

Did you Know?

In Ancient Greece, seeing oneself as above the Gods was the greatest crime—one that inevitably led to downfall. Eventually, this concept of such extreme and fatal arrogance was given a name: hubris.

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