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as in triumphant
having or expressing feelings of joy or triumph in his acceptance letter he assured his soon-to-be boss that he was proud to be joining such a fine company

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective proud differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of proud are arrogant, disdainful, haughty, insolent, lordly, overbearing, and supercilious. While all these words mean "showing scorn for inferiors," proud may suggest an assumed superiority or loftiness.

too proud to take charity

When could arrogant be used to replace proud?

The meanings of arrogant and proud largely overlap; however, arrogant implies a claiming for oneself of more consideration or importance than is warranted.

a conceited and arrogant executive

Where would disdainful be a reasonable alternative to proud?

The words disdainful and proud are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, disdainful suggests a more active and openly scornful superciliousness.

disdainful of their social inferiors

When would haughty be a good substitute for proud?

While the synonyms haughty and proud are close in meaning, haughty suggests a consciousness of superior birth or position.

a haughty aristocrat

When might insolent be a better fit than proud?

In some situations, the words insolent and proud are roughly equivalent. However, insolent implies contemptuous haughtiness.

ignored by an insolent waiter

When can lordly be used instead of proud?

Although the words lordly and proud have much in common, lordly implies pomposity or an arrogant display of power.

a lordly condescension

In what contexts can overbearing take the place of proud?

The synonyms overbearing and proud are sometimes interchangeable, but overbearing suggests a tyrannical manner or an intolerable insolence.

an overbearing supervisor

When is it sensible to use supercilious instead of proud?

The words supercilious and proud can be used in similar contexts, but supercilious implies a cool, patronizing haughtiness.

an aloof and supercilious manner

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of proud At this point Ross is probably ashamed of where this once-proud franchise is, especially after Sunday’s disastrous season-opening 33-8 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2025 The boy who saw that Karloff movie would be proud of the man who made it. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2025 His proud, Black queerness takes the spotlight on one of the world’s preeminent stages, playing the sort of music that is not expected of him but that he’s found home in. Lauren Morrow september 9, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2025 The proud mom goes on to share that each of her children has a little bit of her personality in them. Kayla Grant, People.com, 9 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for proud
Recent Examples of Synonyms for proud
Adjective
  • Zane played the arrogant Cal Hockley, who was engaged to Jack's love interest, Rose (played by Kate Winslet).
    Virginia Chamlee, People.com, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Hardly seems like enough to cow these arrogant companies into behaving, especially when their business model is so intrinsically tied to hoovering up other people’s information and creative work.
    James Folta, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Colum’s smug assurance that the wedding will happen soon is rocked when Ned shows up with news of the Grants’ suspicions about the raid.
    Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Howard sells his smug malice, digging into Matt in a way no one has before until the whole thing devolves into a physical fight.
    Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • All of them have been magnificent.
    Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Sep. 2025
  • All of them have been magnificent.
    Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Fast forward a mere 29 years or so, and Heaven Hill has at last made its triumphant return to Bardstown with its new, enormous, state-of-the-art Heaven Hill Springs Distillery.
    Tony Sachs, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Witnessing the Gallaghers lay down their arms to deliver one of rock music’s most triumphant comeback stories has made Shultz reflect on sharing his band — and life — with his brother, Brad.
    Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Talking about the huddle, one of his teammates just walked off the field inexplicably (Governor Kugler) taking early retirement and two others (Waller and Bowman) are openly disdainful of his play calling.
    Bob Haber, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2025
  • For decades, the Academy seemed to keep Cruise at a vaguely disdainful distance, dismissing him as more of an action figure than a serious ack-TOOR.
    Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2025
Adjective
  • The plants captured more carbon without drawing more water, an important factor for real-world applications.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 13 Sep. 2025
  • Tire tread depth - Checking your tire tread before hitting the road is important, as low or no tread can lead to sliding.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The combination of Kraft and Heinz, wed with glorious self-praise in 2015, will be legally rent asunder.
    Erik Sherman, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
  • This even includes Queen Bey’s glorious hair.
    Larry Stansbury, Essence, 4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The prose is ecstatic and freaky and muscular.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
  • If this game was a sign of things to come, Green Bay fans should be ecstatic.
    Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Proud.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/proud. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.

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