1
as in proud
having or displaying feelings of scorn for what is regarded as beneath oneself
prideful intellectuals long considered rock music unworthy of serious study
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in smug
having too high an opinion of oneself
at the wedding the prideful snobs ignored their poor relations
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in triumphant
having or expressing feelings of joy or triumph
flashed a prideful smile as she received her college diploma
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of prideful
As someone who has a prideful demeanor, this can be challenging.
—
Lisa Stardust, Refinery29, 26 Dec. 2025
Darcy’s transformation from prideful and prejudiced (and Elizabeth’s in turn) is why the love story works, and why fans love it so.
—Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 15 Nov. 2025
The chemtrail theory is ultimately prideful.
—Calum Lister Matheson, The Conversation, 14 Nov. 2025
There was no backlash to Ceferin’s words, no prideful defensiveness.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prideful
Lisa Stardust, Refinery29, 26 Dec. 2025
Darcy’s transformation from prideful and prejudiced (and Elizabeth’s in turn) is why the love story works, and why fans love it so.
—Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 15 Nov. 2025
The chemtrail theory is ultimately prideful.
—Calum Lister Matheson, The Conversation, 14 Nov. 2025
There was no backlash to Ceferin’s words, no prideful defensiveness.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prideful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prideful
Adjective
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Elsewhere, Jenna Ortega’s tattered Christian Cowan slip dress featured a thigh-high slit that would make Jolie proud.—
Hannah Jackson,
Vogue,
2 Mar. 2026
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Older brother Justin and sister Joi were also present and proud.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Woods kept everyone guessing — a favorite hobby of his — with one word and a smug grin last week at Riviera when he was asked if playing in the Masters was off the table.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Feb. 2026
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Meanwhile, a young Denholm Elliott makes for a delightfully smug Edgar Linton, and the underrated Angela Thornton brings to Isabella Linton a welcome sensuality.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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There’s a crazy, almost anarchic narrative logic that keeps it zigging and zagging unpredictably from the high-speed chase around precarious mountain roads to the suspenseful near disaster of the climax, in which nature gets angry, and the triumphant eco solution that saves the day.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Mar. 2026
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The townspeople perform a celebratory dance with the tailors, and the ballet ends with the boy jumping onto their shoulders in a triumphant pose.—
Jennifer Homans,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The history of classic Athens shows us that a Democracy can misuse its power, become arrogant and become a tyrant.—
Letters to the Editor,
Hartford Courant,
25 Feb. 2026
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Maekar refuses, earning a cutting rebuttal from Dunk about the royal upbringing that turned Daeron (Henry Ashton) into a drunken coward and Aerion into an arrogant and cruel madman.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The Pitt definitely feels like the type of workplace where conceited doctors-in-training are pretty much guaranteed to quickly get knocked down a peg.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
8 Jan. 2026
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But Grande’s conceited blonde bubblehead gains in stature here as Glinda assumes statesmanlike responsibility to spread goodness in Oz, while experiencing crushing romantic disappointment that humbles her and deflates her vanity.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Oak Forest coach Jamie Hubbard was ecstatic.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Mar. 2026
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The crowds had grown ecstatic by the last leg of the monks’ 2,300-mile journey.—
Sarah Hepola,
Dallas Morning News,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The Oscar-winning British filmmaker crafts a sumptuous bad romance that’s quite haughty, darkly hilarious and ultimately heartfelt.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
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That Melania was remote, haughty, mysterious, beset by grievance and resentment.—
Katha Pollitt,
Washington Post,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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In her final words, a Bronx mother cops say was stabbed to death by her longtime boyfriend apologized to her children — who witnessed her bloody slaying and tried in vain to stop it.—
Roni Jacobson,
New York Daily News,
2 Mar. 2026
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All parents battle that wall, nearly always in vain.—
Yiyun Li,
New Yorker,
1 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prideful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prideful. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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