self-important

adjective

self-im·​por·​tant ˌself-im-ˈpȯr-tᵊnt 

-tənt

: having or showing self-importance

self-importantly adverb

Synonyms of self-important

• arrogant
• smug
• proud
• vainglorious
• conceited
• pompous
• egotistic
• vain

Examples of self-important in a Sentence

a self-important businessman who believed his schedule mattered more than anyone else's

Recent Examples on the Web

Public officials attend each year to bear witness and show their respects, not deliver self-important speeches. — Ken Frydman, New York Daily News, 7 Sep. 2026

Although the director’s overuse of foot-stomp transitions can feel a bit self-important — experimental for experimental’s sake — this is interesting theater of ideas. — Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 10 Aug. 2026

It’s dominated by a less than transparent booster, Eli James (Michael Hough), who comes with a self-important wife, Jemma (Mary Holland), and a pair of teenage twin girls who might be described as all dressed up with nowhere to go. — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026

Self-righteous and self-important, priggish and nagging. — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 6 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1732, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for self-important

• unimportant
• important