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
Nevertheless, the self-aggrandizing and self-congratulations on display in the first three episodes available for review implies humility may be in short supply.
—
Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 14 May 2026
Today, the self-congratulation of white liberals has been displaced by white-supremacist promoters of Western civilization who don’t merely posit but brutally enforce inequality between races, peoples, cultures, and nation-states.
—Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Being vocally left-leaning thus provides social status benefits and forms of self-congratulation that being conservative doesn't (if anything, in terms of the broader culture and the opinion-formulating institutions, conservatism tends to be rather lonely and something of a social liability).
—Bradley Gitz, Arkansas Online, 23 Mar. 2026
There’s a note of self-congratulation running through this work too — tricky to pinpoint because it comes swathed in both twee humility and real suffering.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 17 Mar. 2026
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
Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 14 May 2026
Today, the self-congratulation of white liberals has been displaced by white-supremacist promoters of Western civilization who don’t merely posit but brutally enforce inequality between races, peoples, cultures, and nation-states.
—Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Being vocally left-leaning thus provides social status benefits and forms of self-congratulation that being conservative doesn't (if anything, in terms of the broader culture and the opinion-formulating institutions, conservatism tends to be rather lonely and something of a social liability).
—Bradley Gitz, Arkansas Online, 23 Mar. 2026
There’s a note of self-congratulation running through this work too — tricky to pinpoint because it comes swathed in both twee humility and real suffering.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 17 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-congratulation
Noun
-
All to justify his vanity project.—
Josh Meyer,
USA Today,
31 May 2026
-
The director describes him less as a young actor searching for a performance than as someone instinctively in tune with the character’s vanity, insecurity and swagger.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
By catering to his ego, international leaders can persuade Washington to forget—or at least to ignore—past tensions.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
3 June 2026
-
Out of this evolutionary necessity, new ways of leading are emerging based on the consciousness of a connected self, that both embraces the ego and puts it in service of a bigger picture, a higher calling.—
Ginny Whitelaw,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
Fans can expect this and more on her next release, and all pride aside— a B-sides version of her major label debut, with all due respect.—
Mya Abraham,
VIBE.com,
3 June 2026
-
Chef Sisca’s personal pride is the classic French omelette, served traditionally with asparagus, French feta, chive and pommes frites or salad.—
Jillian Dara,
PEOPLE,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
The problem is that without Humility, confidence easily becomes arrogance, decisiveness becomes impulsive, and expertise becomes a barrier to learning.—
Mary Crossan,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
-
In Polis’ case, so does arrogance.—
Mark Barabak,
Mercury News,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
One widespread subspecies endemic to the area is the haughty Cardinal, recognized by its bright-red plumage and smugness about winning a dozen National League Central crowns.—
Robert Annis,
Midwest Living,
31 May 2026
-
At one point, Catherine and I landed on the topic of smugness as an obstacle to creativity.—
Cressida Leyshon,
New Yorker,
24 May 2026
Noun
-
But emergency management officials across Central Florida fear the somewhat sunny forecast may lead residents to develop a sense of complacency — especially after last season, when not a single tropical storm or hurricane struck the state.—
Martin E. Comas,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 May 2026
-
His has been a one-man crusade against complacency.—
Sam Lee,
New York Times,
25 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Self-congratulation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-congratulation. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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