smugger; smuggest
1
: highly self-satisfied
2
: trim or smart in dress : spruce
3
: scrupulously clean, neat, or correct : tidy
smugly
adverb
smugness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of smug in a Sentence
Meanwhile, supporters are smug and righteous that the person who manages the world's leading stock exchange deserves every million.
—
Susan Lee, Wall Street Journal, 10 Sept. 2003
Alice Norcross Pratt, a local stay-at-home mom, is portrayed as smug and pious, yet we also see glimmers of her hidden longings.
—Elizabeth Graver, New York Times Book Review, 27 May 2001
Once, Roy dared shooters to beat him with a shot between his legs. Now, he no longer passes out such smug invitations. The goalie who transformed the butterfly technique into an art form has humbly decided to keep his skates a little closer together …
—Mark Kiszla, ESPN, 28 May 2001
She was tall and beautiful and multilingual and fiercely opinionated. One of her opinions held that the rags that passed for literary magazines on campus were so smug and tame and insular that it was hopeless to even try to reform them; they simply needed to be replaced.
—Tom Perrotta, Joe College, 2000
It's OK to celebrate your success, but try not to be too smug about it.
You can wipe that smug look off your face.
Susan Lee, Wall Street Journal, 10 Sept. 2003
Alice Norcross Pratt, a local stay-at-home mom, is portrayed as smug and pious, yet we also see glimmers of her hidden longings.
—Elizabeth Graver, New York Times Book Review, 27 May 2001
Once, Roy dared shooters to beat him with a shot between his legs. Now, he no longer passes out such smug invitations. The goalie who transformed the butterfly technique into an art form has humbly decided to keep his skates a little closer together …
—Mark Kiszla, ESPN, 28 May 2001
She was tall and beautiful and multilingual and fiercely opinionated. One of her opinions held that the rags that passed for literary magazines on campus were so smug and tame and insular that it was hopeless to even try to reform them; they simply needed to be replaced.
—Tom Perrotta, Joe College, 2000
It's OK to celebrate your success, but try not to be too smug about it.
You can wipe that smug look off your face.
Recent Examples on the Web
And now those smug b-holes have to lick your nuts like the rest of us do.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 14 May 2024
Because while the City of Light may be known as the cradle of fashion, culture, and gastronomy, not too long ago it was also regularly accused of slipping into a lazy, even smug, complacency—stuck in its ways, resting on the laurels of its storied past.
—Vivian Song, Robb Report, 4 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for smug 
Michael Schneider, Variety, 14 May 2024
Because while the City of Light may be known as the cradle of fashion, culture, and gastronomy, not too long ago it was also regularly accused of slipping into a lazy, even smug, complacency—stuck in its ways, resting on the laurels of its storied past.
—Vivian Song, Robb Report, 4 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for smug
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'smug.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near smug
Cite this Entry
“Smug.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smug. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
smug
adjective
smugger; smuggest
: highly satisfied with oneself : complacent
smugly
adverb
smugness
noun
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