専せん横おう

せ

ん

お

う

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

Describes a person or action that is overbearing, dictatorial, and ignores others' opinions. Often used in political, organizational, or interpersonal contexts.

彼かれの専せん横おうな態たい度どに皆みなが反はん発ぱつした。
Everyone rebelled against his high-handed attitude.
その決けっ定ていは社しゃ長ちょうの専せん横おうによるものだ。
That decision was due to the president's arbitrariness.

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Usage patterns

専せん横おうな〈人ひと〉a high-handed, dictatorial person
専せん横おうな上じょう司しにみんな困こまっている。
Everyone is troubled by their high-handed boss.
〈人ひと〉の専せん横おうを許ゆるすto allow someone's tyrannical/arbitrary behavior
社しゃ員いんたちは社しゃ長ちょうの専せん横おうを長なが年ねん許ゆるしてきた。
The employees had long tolerated the president's high-handedness.
専せん横おうを極きわめるto reach the height of tyranny/arbitrariness
彼かれの権けん力りょくは次し第だいに専せん横おうを極きわめていった。
His power gradually reached the extreme of tyranny.
専せん横おうな態たい度どa domineering, high-handed attitude
会かい議ぎで彼かれは専せん横おうな態たい度どで意い見けんを押おし付つけた。
In the meeting, he pushed his opinion with a domineering attitude.

Kanji

専specialty, exclusive, mainly
横sideways, side, horizontal
擅self-indulgent

Related words

横おう暴ぼう
横暴 emphasizes forceful or oppressive behavior, while 専横 focuses on arbitrary, one-sided decision-making that disregards others' opinions.
独どく裁さいN1
独裁 refers to dictatorship as a system of rule, while 専横 describes the personal quality of being high-handed or overbearing.
独どく断だんN1
独断 means deciding something alone without consulting others, whereas 専横 adds a stronger sense of ignoring or trampling on others' will.
専せん制せいN2
専横 describes high-handed, arbitrary behavior often at a personal or bureaucratic level, whereas 専制 is a systemic term for a whole political order.

Don't confuse with

専せん制せいN2
専制 (autocracy, absolute rule) shares the kanji 専 with 専横 but names a political system, while 専横 describes overbearing personal conduct.

Written forms

専せん横おうUsage100%
Standard kanji spelling; the most common written form.
擅せん横おう
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; learners should recognize but not produce it.

Etymology

Compound of 専 (せん, 'solely, arbitrarily') and 横 (おう, 'sideways, unreasonable'). The combination conveys acting solely according to one's own will in an unreasonable manner.