as in arrogant
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Recent Examples of self-aggrandizing
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
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
Today's self-aggrandizing report is little more than an industry wishlist masked as government policy.
—Lucien Bruggeman, ABC News, 30 July 2025
Dominic Patten, Deadline, 9 Mar. 2026
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
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
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This is an organization that can be frustratingly set in its ways and arrogant in its belief that there’s no better way.—
Jeff Zrebiec,
New York Times,
10 Mar. 2026
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Planning for more than 11 contests out of Dobbins, something only produced twice over his first six NFL seasons, isn’t just arrogant.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The vainglorious demands of one man who can’t read a map? Concerned leaders in both parties should explain to the citizens of the United States how much peril Trump is courting.—
Tom Nichols,
The Atlantic,
14 Jan. 2026
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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
Adjective
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The social enrichment, the egotistical component?—
The Editors,
Robb Report,
14 Mar. 2026
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Please don’t take this in an egotistical way.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
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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
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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And it’s been a very bumptious relationship ever since.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
4 Feb. 2026
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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
Adjective
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Over Your Dead Body is not for the faint of heart, but give or take a rape threat that crosses the line into smug sadism without quite seeming to realize it, the violence lands as more comically cartoonish than horrific.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Mar. 2026
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The ceremony has remained a smug political distraction ever since.—
Angelica Jade Bastién,
Vulture,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Self-aggrandizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-aggrandizing. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
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