Supercilious vs Cheeky - What's the difference?

Supercilious is a related term of cheeky.

As adjectives the difference between supercilious and cheeky

is that supercilious is arrogantly superior; showing contemptuous indifference; haughty while cheeky is (informal) impudent; impertinent; impertinently bold, often in a way that is regarded as endearing or amusing.

supercilious

English

Adjective

(en adjective)

Arrogantly superior; showing contemptuous indifference; haughty.

* 2013 May 23, , " British Leader’s Liberal Turn Sets Off a Rebellion in His Party," New York Times (retrieved 29 May 2013):

Buffeted by criticism of his policy on Europe, battered by rebellion in the ranks over his bill to legalize same-sex marriage and wounded by the perception that he is supercilious , contemptuous and out of touch with mainstream Conservatism, Mr. Cameron earlier this week took the highly unusual step of sending a mass e-mail (or, as he called it, “a personal note”) to his party’s grass-roots members.

Now he was a sturdy, straw haired man of thirty with a rather hard mouth and a supercilious manner.

Synonyms

* See also

Derived terms

* superciliously * superciliousness

cheeky

English

Adjective

(er)

(informal) Impudent; impertinent; impertinently bold, often in a way that is regarded as endearing or amusing.

* 1899 , , Stalky & Co. , chaper 4:

"Shut up," said Harrison. "You chaps always behave as if you were jawin' us when we come to jaw you."

"You're a lot too cheeky ," said Craye.

* 1909 , , The Swoop! or How Clarence Saved England , chaper 7:

The Young Turks, as might have been expected, wrote in their customary flippant, cheeky style.

Synonyms

* saucy * insolent * See