as in vanity
an often unjustified feeling of being pleased with oneself or with one's situation or achievements
the air of self-congratulation that pervades the songwriter's memoirs
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Recent Examples of self-congratulation
That is why this moment demands smarter policy choices, not self-congratulation.
—
Editorial, Boston Herald, 12 Jan. 2026
Rutte told attendees that the move wasn’t a moment for self-congratulations as Russia continues its large-scale drone and missile attacks on Ukraine.
—Ashley Carnahan, FOXNews.com, 11 Dec. 2025
But Putin will not be persuaded by bluster and self-congratulation alone.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
But Carey also took the UBS Arena stage in New York for more than self-congratulations.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 8 Sep. 2025
Judge, always wary of self-congratulation, downplayed his contributions.
—Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 25 July 2025
Dismissed by some as an intellectual fad, EA, according to its founders, marked a serious and fundamental rethink of philanthropy, away from an exercise in black-tie self-congratulation and toward a rigorous quantitative science.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 24 July 2025
In The Atlantic, the former sheriff of King County, Washington, Sue Rahr, explains how such self-congratulation obscures so many less palatable truths.
—Maris Kreizman, Rolling Stone, 24 June 2025
Editorial, Boston Herald, 12 Jan. 2026
Rutte told attendees that the move wasn’t a moment for self-congratulations as Russia continues its large-scale drone and missile attacks on Ukraine.
—Ashley Carnahan, FOXNews.com, 11 Dec. 2025
But Putin will not be persuaded by bluster and self-congratulation alone.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
But Carey also took the UBS Arena stage in New York for more than self-congratulations.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 8 Sep. 2025
Judge, always wary of self-congratulation, downplayed his contributions.
—Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 25 July 2025
Dismissed by some as an intellectual fad, EA, according to its founders, marked a serious and fundamental rethink of philanthropy, away from an exercise in black-tie self-congratulation and toward a rigorous quantitative science.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 24 July 2025
In The Atlantic, the former sheriff of King County, Washington, Sue Rahr, explains how such self-congratulation obscures so many less palatable truths.
—Maris Kreizman, Rolling Stone, 24 June 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-congratulation
Noun
-
Open the door to the Chamber, and you're faced with a sink, a vanity, two wardrobes, and two frosted-glass doors, behind which are a shower and a toilet.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Mar. 2026
-
But gone are the days when an effective routine also meant a cluttered bathroom vanity full of products—instead of needing multiple serums, sunscreens, and moisturizers to target different results, the latest products combine SPF and anti-aging effects all in one.—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Almost instantly, their approaches clash, egos collide, and sparks fly like Westside has never seen.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
10 Mar. 2026
-
The 2026 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante attracts attention, important for supercar buyers’ egos.—
James Raia,
Mercury News,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Country pride, seeding for the rest of the tournament and Olympic implications (the top two teams in the tournament from the Americas outside of the United States automatically qualify for the 2028 Summer Games) were on the line.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Helen Arevalo, one of the guides on the boat who is herself a ribereño and grew up in a tiny jungle village called Nueva Esperanza or New Hope, spoke with pride of being one of the only women guides in the region.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Too few compliments make kids feel slighted, while too many can inspire arrogance.—
Wayne Parker,
Parents,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Adam McKay’s toxically smug dissection of Dick Cheney fails to take the full measure of this monstrous vice-president, but even so, Bale taps into something elemental about the man’s arrogance and domineering personality.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The smugness is thicker than split pea.—
Josh Brown,Sean Russo,
CNBC,
4 Dec. 2025
-
Where Spider masked his incompetence with bravado and abrasiveness, Claude put up a thin layer of smugness that collapsed when faced with even a tiny amount of resistance.—
Brian Grubb,
Vulture,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
If everybody’s getting better, then there’s no complacency or anything like that.—
Mike Kaye
March 3,
Charlotte Observer,
3 Mar. 2026
-
The rituals of remembrance are meant to disturb our complacency.—
Jack Hill,
Baltimore Sun,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Self-congratulation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-congratulation. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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