SELF-AGGRANDIZING Synonyms: 110 Similar and Opposite Words

self-aggrandizing

adjective

Definition of self-aggrandizing

as in arrogant

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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-aggrandizing The author characterizes Huntington Beach itself as an inherently self-aggrandizing, wealthy coastal enclave unrepresentative of broader California concerns, dismissing the notion that this affluent beach town should serve as a model for statewide governance or the state’s future direction. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026 As well as lambasting Shell, this often self-aggrandizing filing out in the low-tech Santa Monica Courthouse has innocuous cameos by the likes of Ari Emanuel and Jay Penske, among others. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 9 Mar. 2026 This self-aggrandizing aria found a large audience, selling more than 100,000 copies in its first week and topping the charts on Amazon. — Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 17 Jan. 2026 This debut wasn’t a self-aggrandizing spectacle. — David Lyman, Cincinnati Enquirer, 7 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for self-aggrandizing

Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-aggrandizing

Adjective

Everybody on our side understands that impeachment is a critical tool in the toolbox for constitutional self-defense against a president acting like a king, an imperious, lawless, arrogant king.

— NBC news, NBC news, 6 Sep. 2026
Most obviously, front and center, and in endlessly intrusive close-up, there’s Pattinson — who also serves as producer — playing the arrogant, fame-addicted, megalomaniac Hansen.

— Jessica Kiang, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of arrogant

Adjective

Claire’s elective death therefore remains a problematic choice for some viewers, an act of vainglorious selfishness from a woman who was never terribly nice to begin with.

— Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 24 May 2026
Melodramatic and vainglorious, moody and capricious, a fidgety, neurotic hypochondriac, Stalin was a bundle of appalling contradictions.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 Feb. 2026

Definition of vainglorious

Adjective

Through remarkable archival footage and an incredible range of interviews, Monsters of God digs into the egotistical and ruthless mentalities that supported competing criminal empires and the undercover operations that dismantled them.

— Rory Doherty, Time, 6 Aug. 2026
Where some may see this behavior as vain or egotistical, others may perceive it as bold, self-assured and passionate.

— Mallorie Sullivan, USA Today, 20 July 2026

Definition of egotistic

Adjective

This approach fosters genuine respect, trust, and loyalty, offering a powerful alternative to today's loud, self-promoting culture.

— Luis E. Romero, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Critics call social media posts self-promotion While the president praised her as a fighter, critics called out her self-promoting social media use, including videos showing her in tactical gear at raids with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol agents.

— Luke Barr, ABC News, 5 Mar. 2026

Definition of self-promoting

Adjective

Meanwhile, Johnson reprises his role as Moana's bantering reluctant partner, the shapeshifting trickster demigod Maui, alongside Jemaine Clement again voicing the conceited giant crustacean Tamatoa.

— Brian Truitt, USA Today, 9 July 2026
Avoid Burying Praise in Negatives To avoid making children too conceited, parents might bury praise in the midst of negatives.

— Wayne Parker, Parents, 8 Mar. 2026

Definition of conceited

Adjective

In public, Newsom speaks often and openly about his errors, fortifying his image as a bumptious, slightly hapless victim of his own enthusiasms.

— Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2026
The Star of India’s intensely curlicued provenance and bumptious post-sale 20th-century history is a Baedeker for all who might aspire to purchase the Pure Land, should it ever be formally or publicly offered for sale.

— Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026

Definition of bumptious

Adjective

Similarly, Zo — seen recently as the monster hunter in Na Hong-jin’s delirious sci-fi action epic, Hope — stays for most of the running time just the right side of smug entitlement.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2026
Historian Sandgruber describes how Alois Hitler wrote his 1895 letters in a deeply smug, anti-clerical manner that overestimated his abilities.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 June 2026

Definition of smug

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self-aggrandizement

self-aggrandizing

self-analyses

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“Self-aggrandizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-aggrandizing. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of self-aggrandizing

adjective

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