German Pride & Arrogance Vocabulary
This set covers the German vocabulary of pride and its uglier cousins: arrogance, vanity, and showing off. The key distinction English speakers miss is between Stolz (neutral, often positive pride) and Hochmut (pride that has curdled into looking down on others). Words like eingebildet and selbstgefällig sit in between, describing someone who's pleased with themselves in a way that grates on everyone else.
Learn these 21 words
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All 21 words
- arrogantA2
arrogant
Der neue Kollege wirkt ziemlich arrogant. — The new colleague seems quite arrogant.
arrogance
Seine Arroganz macht ihn sehr unbeliebt. — His arrogance makes him very unpopular.
conceited
Sie ist seit dem Erfolg sehr eingebildet. — She has become very conceited since her success.
- eitelB1
vain
Er ist zu eitel für einfache Kleidung. — He is too vain for simple clothes.
vanity
Ihre Eitelkeit zeigt sich in jedem Foto. — Her vanity shows in every photo.
- stolzB1
proud
Ich bin stolz auf dich. Das hast du sehr gut gemacht. — I'm proud of you. You did that very well.
haughty
Sein überheblicher Ton ärgert alle Kollegen. — His haughty tone annoys all colleagues.
plural: die Aufschneider
a braggart / boaster
Der Aufschneider prahlte ständig mit seinen erfundenen Erfolgen. — The braggart constantly boasted about his invented successes.
boastful / bragging
Sein prahlerischer Ton gefiel niemandem. — His boastful tone pleased no one.
- protzenB2
to show off / flaunt
Er protzt gerne mit seinem neuen Auto. — He likes to show off with his new car.
- protzigB2
pretentious / ostentatious
Der protzige Reiche verschwand schnell wieder. — The ostentatious wealthy man disappeared quickly.
esteem / high regard
Seine Wertschätzung für gute Arbeit ist bekannt. — His esteem for good work is well known.
pompousness / self importance
Seine Wichtigtuerei nervt alle Kollegen. — His pompousness annoys all his colleagues.
megalomania / delusions of grandeur
Sein Größenwahn führte zu seinem Niedergang. — His megalomania led to his downfall.
pride / haughtiness / arrogance
Sein Hochmut kam vor dem Fall. — His arrogance came before the fall.
haughty / arrogant
Sie war hochmütig und konnte niemanden respektieren. — She was haughty and could respect no one.
highfalutin / pompous / pretentious
Seine hochtrabenden Reden beeindruckten niemanden. — His pompous speeches impressed nobody.
plural: die Selbstbeweihräucherungen
self-congratulation
Seine Selbstbeweihräucherung ist unerträglich. — His self-congratulation is unbearable.
complacent / self-satisfied
Ein selbstgefälliger Mensch kann nicht lernen. — A self-satisfied person cannot learn.
self-righteous
Seine selbstgerechte Haltung ärgert mich. — His self-righteous attitude annoys me.
high spirits / devilment
Sein Übermut führte zu einem peinlichen Fehler. — His high spirits led to an embarrassing mistake.
How to learn this set
Several nouns here are built on Mut (courage/spirit): Hochmut and Übermut. Notice that Übermut isn't a "bigger" version of Hochmut, it means high spirits or recklessness, not arrogance at all, so don't let the shared root fool you into treating them as synonyms. Also drill hochmütig and hochtrabend together since both start with hoch- but describe different things: a person's attitude versus a speaking or writing style. For the noun forms, learn der Aufschneider and der Größenwahn with their genders fixed in a sentence, since der nouns for personality traits often get mixed up with die by English speakers used to abstract nouns defaulting to feminine (die Arroganz, die Eitelkeit, die Wichtigtuerei all are die, but der Aufschneider and der Größenwahn are not).
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Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Hochmut and Stolz?
Stolz is neutral or positive pride, the kind you feel about an achievement or your kids. Hochmut is always negative: looking down on other people because you think you're better than them.
Is Selbstbeweihräucherung a real word people use?
Yes, though it sounds absurd even to Germans, since it literally means self-incense-burning. It's used sarcastically for someone praising themselves, often in phrases like 'das ist doch nur Selbstbeweihräucherung'.
What does protzen mean and how is it used?
Protzen means to show off, usually with money or possessions, as in 'Er protzt mit seinem neuen Auto' (he's flaunting his new car). The adjective protzig describes the person or thing itself, like a protziges Haus.
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