overbearing (adj.)

"haughty, dictatorial," 1732, figurative present-participle adjective from overbear (v.) in its modern sense "to repress by force, overpower." Earlier the word was used in a literal sense (1670s), but this seems to be obsolete. In Middle English it was a verbal noun, "act of transferring or transporting" (early 15c.).

updated on October 28, 2019