con·ceit
(kən-sēt́)
[Middle English, mind, conception, from Anglo-Norman conceite, from Late Latin conceptus; see concept.]
noun
- A favorable and especially unduly high opinion of one's own abilities or worth.
- An ingenious or witty turn of phrase or thought.
- A fanciful poetic image, especially an elaborate or exaggerated comparison.
- A poem or passage consisting of such an image.
- The result of intellectual activity; a thought or an opinion.
- A fanciful thought or idea.
- A fancy article; a knickknack.
- An extravagant, fanciful, and elaborate construction or structure: “An eccentric addition to the lobby is a life-size wooden horse, a 19th century conceit” (Mimi Sheraton)
transitive verb: -ceit·ed, -ceit·ing, -ceits.
- Chiefly British To take a fancy to.
- Obsolete To understand; conceive.
synonyms:
conceit, egoism, egotism, narcissism, vanity These nouns denote excessive high regard for oneself: boasting that reveals conceit; imperturbable egoism; arrogance and egotism that were obvious from her actions; narcissism that shut out everyone else; wounded his vanity by looking in the mirror.
Antonym: humility
