smugger; smuggest
1
: highly self-satisfied
2
: trim or smart in dress : spruce
3
: scrupulously clean, neat, or correct : tidy
smugly
adverb
smugness
noun
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
The washers contain a large haul of cocaine, which Mia and Charlie are tasked with delivering to the Chinatown hangout of smug young local Triad boss Tsui Fong (Jeremy Ang Jones) to square up a debt.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 24 Apr. 2025
Drew continues to dutifully poke holes in Brit’s victim narrative, telling the new girl that her smug attitude following Kenya’s firing is alienating.
—Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2025
This brings me back to the siege of Jackson, which happens at the same time as Abby’s smug speechifying and Joel-torturing up at the lodge.
—Noel Murray, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2025
But my in-laws seemed not to catch this smug look of his, and when my mother-in-law excused herself to go to the bathroom, my father-in-law took the opportunity to go over to his desk and take out one of his special blue envelopes.
—Hazlitt, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smug
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David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 24 Apr. 2025
Drew continues to dutifully poke holes in Brit’s victim narrative, telling the new girl that her smug attitude following Kenya’s firing is alienating.
—Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2025
This brings me back to the siege of Jackson, which happens at the same time as Abby’s smug speechifying and Joel-torturing up at the lodge.
—Noel Murray, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2025
But my in-laws seemed not to catch this smug look of his, and when my mother-in-law excused herself to go to the bathroom, my father-in-law took the opportunity to go over to his desk and take out one of his special blue envelopes.
—Hazlitt, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smug
Cite this Entry
“Smug.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smug. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
smug
adjective
smugger; smuggest
: highly satisfied with oneself : complacent
smugly
adverb
smugness
noun
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