ἀλαζ-ονεία G0212
boastfulness, arrogant pretension, vain display
This noun denotes arrogant boasting or pretentious display, often accompanied by unrealistic claims. James 4:16 condemns those who boast in their ἀλαζονείαις—arrogant plans—about tomorrow's business ventures, forgetting life's fragility and God's sovereignty. In 1 John 2:16, ἡ ἀλαζονεία τοῦ βίου (the pride of life) is listed alongside fleshly lust and eye-lust as worldly desires not from the Father. The classical background includes charlatan imposture and boastful pretension, suggesting not just pride but fraudulent self-promotion.
Senses
1. sense 1 — The boastfulness theme dominates translations: Spanish 'vanagloria' (vainglory) and 'arrogancias,' French preserving the Greek, German 'Prahlerei' (bragging). James applies it to presumptuous business planning, while John uses it more broadly for worldly pride. Both contexts critique self-centered confidence that excludes God from consideration. 2×
AR["كِبريائِكُم", "مُفاخَرَةُ"]·ben["অহংকার", "দাম্ভিকতায়"]·DE["Prahlerei"]·EN["arrogance", "boasting"]·FR["ἀλαζονεία", "ἀλαζονείαις"]·heb["גַּאֲוָה", "יְהִירוּתֵיכֶם"]·HI["घमण्ड", "डींगों-में"]·ID["kesombongan", "kesombongan-kesombonganmu"]·IT["alazoneia", "alazoneiais"]·jav["gumedé", "gumunggung"]·KO["자랑", "허풍들-에서"]·PT["jactâncias", "soberba"]·RU["гордость", "хвастовствах"]·ES["arrogancias", "vanagloria"]·SW["kiburi", "majivuno"]·TR["böbürlenmelerinizde", "övünmesi"]·urd["تکبر", "شیخیوں"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἀλαζ-ονεία, ἡ, false pretension, imposture, Refs 5th c.BC+; boastfulness, Refs 6th c.AD+ their over-readiness to sound, opposed to ἐξάρνησις, Refs 5th c.BC+. [That penultimate is long appears from Ar.[same places], Refs 4th c.BC+