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I'm trying to write a letter to the editor of my local paper about their report of a man who doesn't think the rules apply to him. Is there a word for this? He's a bit of an egoist, demanding to speak at city council meetings after the public hearing portion of the meeting has been closed.

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  • Elitist is one.
    – Adam
    Mar 18, 2011 at 14:32
  • 4
    Arrogant, self-centered, egotistical, anarchist (or maybe not), "above the law", etc.
    – Adam
    Mar 18, 2011 at 14:36
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    Banker - Politician
    – user5531
    Mar 18, 2011 at 14:57
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    Prospective criminal, soon-to-be jail resident?
    – timur
    Mar 18, 2011 at 15:11
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    Some people, not necessarily me, might consider that to sound a bit pretentious.
    – Adam
    Mar 18, 2011 at 15:33

24 Answers 24

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For one-worders, I like @Robusto's "self-important" and @Nick's "presumptuous."

I'll add "inconsiderate," since I don't see that it's been added yet.

I've also described people with similar tendencies as "having an unjustified sense of entitlement," though I usually leave out "unjustified."

"scofflaw" is a fine word, but it's almost an archaic usage. I just haven't heard it in non-facetious, non-ironic usage in USAmerican language. "bumptious" falls into this category as well. Nothing wrong with the word, but not used much. It can be used. Maybe you'll use it and start a trend. Of course then it might become a cliché .

"sociopath" is probably the correct diagnosis, and so has the advantage of being literally correct. Probably a bit inflammatory (unless you mean to be inflammatory, in which case, have at it).

I don't feel "loose cannon" is correct here, unless the OP has a different sense of the person in question than I'm getting. Usually a loose cannon is someone who is institutionally entrenched and whose character is endangering either the institution or those it comes it contact with.

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scofflaw : –noun 1. a person who flouts the law, especially one who fails to pay fines owed. 2. a person who flouts rules, conventions, or accepted practices.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/scofflaw

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    In my eyes, the connotation on scofflaw implies the scofflaw is villainous, not just ignorant of the law.
    – jamesbtate
    Mar 18, 2011 at 18:05
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    @puddingfox: I think that connotation is compatible with the question's description.
    – MrHen
    Mar 18, 2011 at 18:42
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    @puddingfox: it sounds to me that the person in question is well aware of the law, but pretends that it does not apply to him...
    – nico
    Mar 18, 2011 at 20:42
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    That doesn't sound right at all. He'd be a scofflaw if he were deliberately ignoring the civil or criminal law, but he's merely trying to bend parliamentary procedure.
    – jprete
    Mar 19, 2011 at 2:15
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    Couldn't you simply use scoff: treat with contemptuous disregard; "flout the rules"
    – Kredns
    Mar 19, 2011 at 3:22
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You could try self-important.

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9

Perhaps bumptious or presumptuous

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What—nobody thought of "pompous"? From Webster:

pompous - having or exhibiting self-importance : arrogant

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Sociopath could be a possibility.

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  • ) I think you're right, though probably not the best thing to say in a letter.
    – jbelacqua
    Mar 18, 2011 at 15:22
  • had to say it for completeness :P
    – tenfour
    Mar 18, 2011 at 15:25
  • Ha - I think it is the best shorthand for the fellow, based on the description.
    – jbelacqua
    Mar 18, 2011 at 15:29
  • The definition of the word is probably fitting, although I think it would convey the wrong magnitude of severity.
    – Ben Collins
    Mar 18, 2011 at 15:52
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Perhaps not a single word, but a phrase: your man is acting with impunity. Quite literally; as if the laws of the meeting don't apply to him.

Impunity

exemption or immunity from punishment or recrimination

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  • 1
    interesting. I wonder if impunity can be modified to be a character quality, like "impunitous" or something.
    – Ben Collins
    Mar 21, 2011 at 18:51
3

The word renegade comes to my mind.

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2

How about

Criminal

That would seem to fit the bill.

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2

Insensitive? Insensible? Callous, as in "callous disregard"?

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2

You can use egocentric, or egocentristic.

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2

A "Maverick" is someone who thinks the rules don't apply to them.

The lead character in the movie Top Gun probably earned his callsign "Maverick" by being a maverick. While I expect the term didn't originate in that movie, the phrase "God damn it, Maverick!" has certainly secured a place in populate culture.

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  • 3
    The term predates Top Gun.
    – Jerry Coffin
    Mar 20, 2011 at 6:26
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A common epithet in use for such a person, and which captures the exact attitude of self-aggrandisement, is God-almighty.

OED defines them as one who poses or is regarded by others, chiefly derisively, as omnipotent.

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Deluded, entitled, overgrown spoilt brat.

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  • 2
    Welcome to EL&U. We strongly prefer answers which offer detailed explanations, with links to references as many be suitable. The help center will offer additional guidance on how to best use this site.
    – choster
    Mar 11, 2014 at 16:34
1

He's a loose cannon:

an unpredictable or uncontrolled person who is likely to cause unintentional damage.

-New Oxford American

a person whose reckless behavior endangers the efforts or welfare of others.

-Dictionary.com

(My initial answer was going to be maverick, but this led me to loose cannon and I liked it better.)

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1

What about misfit since you said 'rules doesn't apply to him'?

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I like recalcitrant and contumacious, but then I'm addicted to syllables.

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  • If someone is recalcitrant, he is resisting against something that is being imposed upon him, or unwilling to do something. This is not the case here. A general law or convention exists and he goes deliberately against it. He is not "resisting" so much as "violating", which is different.
    – Sylverdrag
    Mar 19, 2011 at 4:44
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Or a (self-centered) eccentric ?

Does "eccentric" really have positive connotation?

Nobody better encapsulates Google’s ambitions, its ethics, and its worldview. At the same time, Page can be eccentric, arrogant, and secretive. Under his leadership, the company will be even harder to predict.

From Wired

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  • 3
    "eccentric" usually has a sense of being benign, and might not be sufficiently critical for this case.
    – jbelacqua
    Mar 18, 2011 at 15:32
  • Yeah - it's kindof a euphemism for weird. (Euphemism implying that it's not a negative word)
    – Adam
    Mar 18, 2011 at 15:34
  • @jgelacqua, "eccentric" doesn't always have such connotation. Please see the quote from Wired.
    – Fountain
    Mar 19, 2011 at 14:56
  • even in that case, "eccentric" is used to highlight unpredictability, not as a negative label in itself. In business terms, Page's eccentricity is part of a set of characteristics which the writer doesn't expect to be entirely benign. He could also be a sky-diver and rock climber -- not negative, but negative if you're looking for someone safe and predictable.
    – jbelacqua
    Mar 22, 2011 at 23:14
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May be a bit extreme but: psychopath or megalomaniac

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0

I kind of like "self-important gadfly", but that's just me. "Gadfly" can have positive connotations when not qualified.

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0

How about Rebel? Rebels resist convention.

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    Hmm. I think this typically has a slightly positive connotation. (E.g, James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause.) It's not a compliment, but seems akin to "swashbuckling" in many usages. I usually hear it now used facetiously, as a dig on someone's barely-there or merely slight deviation from a typical convention (like adding honey instead of the office-supplied sugar to one's office coffee -- "Sam, you're such a rebel").
    – jbelacqua
    Mar 18, 2011 at 15:39
  • I would go even farther as to say that it is a compliment.
    – Adam
    Mar 18, 2011 at 15:53
  • I agree about the positive connotation part. Thanks @jgbe :)
    – n0nChun
    Mar 18, 2011 at 17:22
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    Rebel is certainly not always positive, it is only positive to one side.
    – Orbling
    Mar 19, 2011 at 0:17
  • Why are all the people so adamant on down voting this one? Should I remove this answer?
    – n0nChun
    Mar 19, 2011 at 4:44
0

Perhaps solipsist might work here?

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-1

What about just selfish? He certainly seems so.

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-2

How about prima donna, one who thinks the rules apply to others and not them.

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1
  • Could you include a definition or an excerpt which will back up your answer?
    – Mari-Lou A
    Aug 16, 2013 at 4:58

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