soberbio

superb, magnificent

adjective soh-BEHR-byoh Rare

Origin: From Latin superbus (proud, magnificent).

Also means

arrogant, haughty

Usage Note

Soberbio is a genuine false friend within Spanish: the same word means both 'magnificent, superb' (una soberbia actuación) and 'arrogant, haughty' (es muy soberbio). Context usually disambiguates — before a noun it tends to be laudatory, applied to a person it tends to be critical. The noun soberbia means pride or arrogance, so the positive sense lives mainly in the adjective.

Examples

"Fue una actuación soberbia la de anoche."

Natural Translation

Last night's performance was superb.

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