威い張ばる

also: えばる

い

ば

る

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb

act big; throw one's weight around; be bossy

Describes someone behaving arrogantly, lording it over others, or acting self-important. Often used in negative contexts.

彼かれは上じょう司しの前まえではおとなしいが、部ぶ下かには威い張ばる。
He's meek in front of his boss, but he acts big with his subordinates.

そんなに威い張ばらなくてもいいじゃないか。

You don't have to be so bossy, do you?

Written forms

威張るUsage70%
- いばる
  Standard kanji spelling.
- えばる
いばるUsage28%
Kana spelling is common in informal writing.
えばるUsage2%
Dialectal or colloquial variant; less common than いばる.

Kanji

威intimidate, dignity, majesty
張counter for bows & stringed instruments, stretch, spread

Similar words

自じ慢まんする
自慢する means to boast about one's own achievements or possessions, while 威張る focuses on domineering behavior and arrogance toward others.
傲ごう慢まん
傲慢 is a na-adjective describing an arrogant personality or attitude, whereas 威張る is a verb describing the act of behaving arrogantly.

Etymology

Compound of 威 (authority, dignity) and 張る (to stretch, to put on). The historical derivation is uncertain, but the spelling conventionally associates authority with an inflated or overbearing attitude.