as in arrogant
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Recent Examples of self-aggrandizing
Because, for all its self-aggrandizing mythology, the modern studio system is just a labor force, and like any workplace, when its employees cease doing their jobs, that’s when the product stops coming.
—
Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 Feb. 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
Of course, Epstein was a self-aggrandizing criminal.
—Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2025
This debut wasn’t a self-aggrandizing spectacle.
—David Lyman, Cincinnati Enquirer, 7 Oct. 2025
Not for the praise, not for self-aggrandizing satisfaction of a dish made perfectly.
—Amiel Stanek, Bon Appetit Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
For the past few months, Newsom tapped his social media team to impersonate Trump online, typing in all caps, making self-aggrandizing claims (more than normal, that is), and being generally combative.
—Matt Fleming, Oc Register, 6 Sep. 2025
Newsom’s social media efforts this month have mimicked Trump’s all caps, self-aggrandizing posts, in a way that has vexed some of the president’s allies and drawn attention across media platforms.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 26 Aug. 2025
Today's self-aggrandizing report is little more than an industry wishlist masked as government policy.
—Lucien Bruggeman, ABC News, 30 July 2025
Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 Feb. 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
Of course, Epstein was a self-aggrandizing criminal.
—Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2025
This debut wasn’t a self-aggrandizing spectacle.
—David Lyman, Cincinnati Enquirer, 7 Oct. 2025
Not for the praise, not for self-aggrandizing satisfaction of a dish made perfectly.
—Amiel Stanek, Bon Appetit Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
For the past few months, Newsom tapped his social media team to impersonate Trump online, typing in all caps, making self-aggrandizing claims (more than normal, that is), and being generally combative.
—Matt Fleming, Oc Register, 6 Sep. 2025
Newsom’s social media efforts this month have mimicked Trump’s all caps, self-aggrandizing posts, in a way that has vexed some of the president’s allies and drawn attention across media platforms.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 26 Aug. 2025
Today's self-aggrandizing report is little more than an industry wishlist masked as government policy.
—Lucien Bruggeman, ABC News, 30 July 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-aggrandizing
Adjective
-
In the early years of his fame as a writer, Rushdie had something of a reputation for being prickly and arrogant, but Gibney’s portrait reveals a man mellowed by time and experience.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Spock is this brilliant, arrogant, aloof-to-the-point-of-obnoxiousness genius.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
18 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The attention to amusing detail is evident throughout, from the vainglorious mayor’s ample display of chest fur to the very long wintry outfit Gary De’Snake wears in snowy conditions.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Nov. 2025
-
All but the most vainglorious architects imagine that their buildings will change in some small way after completion.—
Anthony Paletta,
Curbed,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Starring Oscar Isaac as a brilliant but egotistical scientist who brings a monstrous creature (played by Jacob Elordi) to life despite all odds and with dire consequences.—
Meredith G. White,
AZCentral.com,
23 Jan. 2026
-
In Lively’s version of events, Baldoni was an egotistical, posturing actor, who tried to present himself as an enlightened male feminist.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
And it could be accelerated by the continued rise of angry, resentful, self-glorifying nationalism in many countries.—
Michael J. Mazarr,
Foreign Affairs,
6 May 2022
Adjective
-
The characters were mostly comic, from shamelessly self-promoting wannabe pop star Scheana Shay to vain rock frontman Tom Sandoval.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
4 Dec. 2025
-
Against all odds, two narcissistic, self-promoting people can talk to each other and really can get curious and vulnerable and connect.—
Mikey O'Connell,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
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
-
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
Adjective
-
But that poem is no smug cliché.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Marcello is looking especially smug and evil in this scene for reasons unclear.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
19 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-aggrandizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-aggrandizing. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
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