arch

1. 1.

   (used of behavior or attitude) characteristic of those who treat others with condescension

   Synonymscondescendingpatronizingpatronising

   Similarsuperior
2. 2.

   naughtily or annoyingly playful

   “teasing and worrying with impish laughter”

   “a wicked prank”

   Synonymsimpishimplikemischievouspixilatedprankishpuckishwicked

   Similarplayful

1. 1.

   form an arch or curve

   “her back arches”

   “her hips curve nicely”

   Synonymscurvearc

   Broaderbend

   Narrowercamber

Other forms of arch

plural

arches·

past tense

arched·

present participle

arching·

Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.

Questions about arch

What does arch mean?

arch means "a curved shape in the vertical plane that spans an opening". That is the primary sense; the word has 7 in total, listed in full on this page.

How many syllables are in arch?

arch has 1 syllable: arch. In IPA it is /ˈɑɹtʃ/.

What is another word for arch?

Close synonyms include archway, condescending, patronizing, patronising, impish. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is arch a common word?

arch is banded "Familiar" — widely understood, used when the subject calls for it. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.