Supercilious vs Irascible - What's the difference?
supercilious | irascible |
Arrogantly superior; showing contemptuous indifference; haughty.
* 2013 May 23, , "
*
Easily provoked to outbursts of anger; irritable.
* 1809 , , Knickerbocker's History of New York , ch. 16:
* 1863 , , Hospital Sketches , ch. 1:
* 1921 , , Four Years , ch. 10:
* 2004 Feb. 29, Daniel Kadlec, "
As adjectives the difference between supercilious and irascible
is that supercilious is arrogantly superior; showing contemptuous indifference; haughty while irascible is easily provoked to outbursts of anger; irritable.supercilious
English
Adjective
(en adjective)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 alsoDerived terms
* superciliously * superciliousnessirascible
English
Adjective
(en adjective)- . . . the surly and irascible passions which, like belligerent powers, lie encamped around the heart.
- I am naturally irascible , and if I could have shaken this negative gentleman vigorously, the relief would have been immense.
- . . . a never idle man of great physical strength and extremely irascible —did he not fling a badly baked plum pudding through the window upon Xmas Day?
Why He's Meanspan," Time :
- Alan Greenspan was on an irascible roll last week, first dissing everyone who holds a fixed-rate mortgage — suckers! — and later picking on folks who collect Social Security: Get back to work, Grandma.