From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsupercilioussu‧per‧cil‧i‧ous /ˌsuːpəˈsɪliəs◂ $ -pər-/ adjective formal PROUDbehaving as if you think that other people are less important than you – used to show disapproval SYN self-important supercilious wine waiters —superciliously adverb —superciliousness noun [uncountable]
Examples from the Corpus
supercilious• He also had unusually heavy, drooping eyelids which could make him look comic or sinister, benevolent or supercilious.• Dress shop assistants grow supercilious, aware that they can uplift or slay us with a single comment.• This viewpoint seems to have prevented him from doing more than cast a supercilious eye over the book.• His lazy, supercilious eyes, too, managed their affectation of aloofness without actually missing a trick.• The Rover abruptly swung out and roared past, the passenger cop giving them a suspicious but mostly supercilious glare.• a supercilious laugh• You looked down your nose like some supercilious llama!• The Lorrimores had arrived, each wearing yesterday's expression: pleasant, aloof, supercilious, sulky.Origin supercilious (1500-1600) Latin superciliosus, from supercilium “eyebrow, proud and unfriendly behavior” 