1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

self-applause

noun

Definition of self-applausenext
as in self-consequence

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-applause
  1. hubris
  2. complacency
  3. smugness
  4. vanity
  5. self-satisfaction
  6. vainglory
  7. egoism
  8. self-admiration
Noun
  • Today, the pitchforks are out, and who else better represents the hubris and greed of late-stage capitalism?
    — Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Over the course of Gulliver’s four voyages to fantastical lands, Swift gives the reader wild and varied depictions of political corruption and human hubris.
    — Dónal Gill, The Dial, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of hubris
Noun
  • But there comes a point where comfort can quietly become complacency.
    — Bill Holodnak, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The company prides itself on a 97 percent score on France’s Equal Opportunity Index, which calculates the gender pay gap, but Nicolas cautioned against complacency.
    — WWD Staff, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of complacency
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
Noun
  • Two of the usual product tills were transformed into makeshift vanities for about a dozen beauty lovers to test an assortment of serums and creams.
    — Kiana Murden, Vogue, 23 Sep. 2026
  • This is small and simple, with a walk-in shower, a vanity sink, and a flushing toilet.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of vanity
Noun
  • His face is a mix of affectlessness and self-satisfaction, putting him somewhere between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, with a touch of the Cheshire cat.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026
  • After 50 minutes of self-satisfaction, the hero fades serenely into a sunset that Dudamel made miraculously mystical.
    — Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026
Definition of self-satisfaction
Noun
  • The conceit is saved from vainglory by the gravity Cage brings to the performance.
    — Isaac Butler, The New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2023
  • That’s the mantra for wide receivers, a group long known for their vainglory.
    — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2023
Definition of vainglory
Noun
  • Kikuko sometimes mistook Shigejiro’s cheerfulness for egoism owing to the distortions produced by her illness.
    — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
  • There was too much egoism politically for each country to be all together with a unique economy, language and president.
    — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2026
Definition of egoism
Noun
  • Most of the film plays out in something close to real time, and the directors, loath to hurry scenes along, slow the action down with a technical virtuosity that sometimes tilts into self-admiration.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 4 Apr. 2025
  • At first, Oliver meekly and gratefully laps up, metaphorically, the warm milk of affection that the family bestows on him between their rounds of backbiting and oblivious self-admiration.
    — Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 18 Nov. 2023
Definition of self-admiration
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.

Browse Nearby Words

self-applauding
self-applause
self-asserting
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Self-applause.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-applause. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of tactile

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 25
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All