sophomania

[imifumei.livejournal.com]

sophomania n. Greek (sophos, wise; mania, madness or excitement): overblown opinion of one's own intelligence, delusions of superintelligence.

Usage:

The rampant sophomania from every party seems to make meaningful debate in any political forum impossible.

Or

My first date would have been better if he had left his sophomania at home but instead he spent the entire time explaining things to me like I was a six-year-old.

This one is special to me as it was bandied about a lot when I was in college. Check out the entry on Dictionary.com!

Comments

[rainbow-yarn.livejournal.com]

Is this kind of like those people who make a joke and then say they crack themselves up?

[imifumei.livejournal.com]

I suppose it could be if the joke were particularly intellectual in nature, but I don't think that it applies to all people who talk about things that others don't understand. I think a sophomaniac is more specifically the type of person who treats their knowledge as superior even when it is not, such as someone who explains things that require no explanation and leaves the listeners thinking "Yeah, I know. I'm not stupid."

[prettygoodword.livejournal.com]

I was thinking of it as related to mansplaining.

---L.

[imifumei.livejournal.com]

I actually had to look that up, but yes! I think this is exactly that.

[windowwasher88.livejournal.com]

Ooh! Michael Sheen in Midnight in Paris.