self-satisfaction

noun

ˌself-ˌsa-təs-ˈfak-shən How to pronounce self-satisfaction (audio)
Definition of self-satisfactionnext
as in vanity
an often unjustified feeling of being pleased with oneself or with one's situation or achievements so many of the Web site's self-portraits give the impression of clueless self-satisfaction

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 self-satisfaction There’s a fine line between righteousness and self-satisfaction, and the second season, which premieres on HBO Max on January 8, frequently stumbles into the latter territory. — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 6 Jan. 2026 Enmired in the self-satisfactions and unnamed timidities of childhood, Galinda finds in herself neither canniness nor the need to cultivate it. — Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 30 Nov. 2025 After a precise drone and cruise missile successfully hit Saudi Arabia’s vital oil infrastructure in September 2019, Russia could hardly conceal its delight and self-satisfaction. — Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025 Trump himself personifies stupidity’s essential feature — self-satisfaction, an inability to recognize the flaws in your thinking. — David Brooks, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for self-satisfaction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-satisfaction
  1. vanity
  2. ego
  3. pride
  4. arrogance
  5. smugness
Noun
  • My suite was beyond spacious, with a full entryway with desk and wetbar giving way to a seating area; large, plush bed; then a closet and vanity area leading into a massive bathroom—which had a full soaking tub and two pedestal sinks.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • HomePop Clover Shaped Ottoman A decorative pouf can wear many hats—vanity seating, an extra chair for company, or even a foot stool in lieu of a chaise.
    — Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of vanity
Noun
  • Over the six episodes, alliances shift, egos clash, and pressure builds as the group shrinks.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The mercurial aspect of the ego wants so much to be validated, respected and understood for a pursuit.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of ego
Noun
  • Kalhammer’s Bowery Nation, which could have given its name to the exhibition, conveys the show’s intensely personal civic pride—its Campanilismo.
    — J. Hoberman, ARTnews.com, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The new foursome watched with pride two months later as the Artemis II astronauts flew around the moon.
    — Marcia Dunn, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of pride
Noun
  • Ilya is looking for work as an assistant, and the professor, with his dandyish nerd arrogance, tells him to look at a paper he’s written and come back in a few days.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026
  • This standalone novel looks at the cult of celebrity, the bond among parents and children, entitlement and arrogance, all wrapped into a tightly wound plot that’s an evocative historical steeped in the Great Depression.
    — Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of arrogance
Noun
  • That joke, which McNamara hits with a palpable sparkle of smugness, illustrates how deliciously blunt her comedic sensibility is.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Even if the movie gets a bit crazy in an apocalyptic epilogue, its picture of bourgeois smugness due for a takedown is delicious.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of smugness

Browse Nearby Words

selfsameness
self-satisfaction
self-satisfied
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Cite this Entry

“Self-satisfaction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-satisfaction. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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