pride

noun

\ ˈprīd

Definition of pride

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : the quality or state of being proud: such as

a : inordinate self-esteem : conceit

b : a reasonable or justifiable self-respect

c : delight or elation arising from some act, possession, or relationship parental pride

2 : proud or disdainful behavior or treatment : disdain

3a : ostentatious display

b : highest pitch : prime

4 : a source of pride : the best in a group or class

5 : a company of lions

6 : a showy or impressive group a pride of dancers

pride

verb

prided; priding

Definition of pride (Entry 2 of 3)

transitive verb

: to indulge (oneself) in pride —now usually used in the phrase pride oneself on to describe taking pride in some ability, quality, etc. She was a girl who prided herself on her carefully blasé and supercilious attitude towards life.— P. G. Wodehouse

Pride

biographical name

\ ˈprīd

Definition of Pride (Entry 3 of 3)

Thomas died 1658 English Parliamentarian commander

Synonyms Vanity vs. Pride More Example Sentences Learn More about pride

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Vanity vs. Pride

People often turn to the dictionary in search of the minute and subtle differences between two similar words. The closely related duo of vanity and pride, which overlap significantly in some respects yet differ in others, offer one such example. Putting aside such uses as pride referring to “a company of lions” and vanity meaning “a dressing table,” each of these words may refer to a state of excessive self-esteem. However, pride may also signify a feeling of satisfaction or happiness (either in oneself or on behalf of others) based on something that is well done; vanity is unlikely to be used in this manner. For a well-worded explanation of this distinction, we might look to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, in which the character Mary opines: “Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us.”

Examples of pride in a Sentence

Noun

Being able to work again gave him his pride back. Getting caught cheating stripped him of his pride. Pride would not allow her to give up. It's a matter of pride that he does the work all by himself. The novel is about a family consumed with pride and vanity. They needed help, but their pride wouldn't let them ask for it. I had to swallow my pride and admit I made a mistake. He showed a great pride in his family. These young people are the pride of their community.

Verb

he prides himself on the quality of his writing

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

There is widespread pride about a young and likable team made up of players from diverse backgrounds. — NBC News, "England fans proud despite World Cup semifinal loss to Croatia," 12 July 2018 The English journey felt different this time, more spirit, more enjoyment, more pride both within the squad and radiating from it. — Martin Rogers, USA TODAY, "Why England's World Cup pain hurts so much," 11 July 2018 Growing into a man who desperately wants his father's love and pride yet is always mindful of the distance between them. — Julia Ioffe, GQ, "The Real Story of Donald Trump Jr.," 21 June 2018 Jim Cantrell, of the small sat launch company Vector, signaled his support with a dash of fear over the wildlife: The Alcantara spaceport was once a source of national pride for Brazil. — Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "Can the U.S. Save Alcantara, Brazil’s Cursed Spaceport?," 20 Mar. 2019 After Princess Estelle puts the finishing touches on a wreath, tying the last knot with pride, her father hangs it on the ceiling of the greenhouse. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Watch Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar Craft Holiday Decor in a Video from the Swedish Royal Family," 19 Dec. 2018 But there’s pride in taking care of something that is all mine. — Elaine Musiwa, Allure, "Goodbye to "Good Hair": How I Learned to Love My Natural Texture After Moving to America," 25 July 2018 Baseball became a source of civic pride in towns such as New Braunfels, Boerne, Hallettsville, La Grange, and Schulenberg, as well as other smaller towns which resembled the small European villages immigrants had left behind. — Roy Bragg, San Antonio Express-News, "German (and Czech) towns are baseball hotbeds," 3 June 2018 Garrett Garrett, the avid outdoorsman who takes a lot of pride in his Chris Farley impression, rode up to the mansion in a minivan full of dad-life props – which seemed to make a good first impression with Becca. — Nick Schwartz, For The Win, "Bachelorette Power Rankings: Did Becca eliminate the wrong guys in Week 1?," 29 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The company has prided itself on building community and fighting for social causes, but its actions have been called into question before. — Bloomberg, latimes.com, "Starbucks scrambles to rebuild trust after 'reprehensible' arrest of two black men," 16 Apr. 2018 More recently, the club has prided itself on developing young sailors into Olympians. — Walter Villa, miamiherald, "In its 63rd year, the Miami Key Largo Regatta adds this for the 2nd day of competition | Miami Herald," 9 Apr. 2018 For a team that has national-title hopes, and a program that prides itself on scheduling, Michigan State is remarkably untested. — Michael Rosenberg, SI.com, "Michigan State Can Win Title, but Will Dark Cloud Hanging Over University Wear It Down?," 13 Mar. 2018 Every Plate prides itself on delivering affordable, delicious meals that aren’t too complicated to cook. — SELF, "The Best Meal-Kit Delivery Services to Try in 2019," 1 Jan. 2019 Trump prides himself in disregarding what’s on teleprompters, sometimes even publicly mocking lines that aides wrote for him. — James Hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: North Korea summit prep encapsulates Trump’s winging-it presidency," 11 June 2018 The movie prides itself in the fun that’s going on. — Rebecca Farley, refinery29.com, "Sense8 Series Finale Recap: Farewell, International Orgies!," 8 June 2018 Apple, as a company, prides itself on being a leader, not a follower. — Peter Bright, Ars Technica, "From Win32 to Cocoa: A Windows user’s would-be conversion to Mac OS X, part III," 28 May 2018 The United States, founded in a war that began as a political rebellion, likes to pride itself on a political system that discourages violence and emphasizes dialogue — no matter how loud and contentious. — David Crary, The Seattle Times, "Bomb scare rattles those touched by past political violence," 27 Oct. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pride.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.