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
Despite the relentless pre-match hype montages, intermittent deluges of FIFA self-congratulation and the blasting of Robbie Williams’ hilariously self-parodic tournament theme song at half-time.
—
Liam Twomey, New York Times, 17 June 2025
What bothers me more is the tone of self-congratulation that accompanies a project that has precious little to do with restorative justice.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 30 May 2025
The rollout comes with the usual self-congratulation.
—Brandon Kochkodin, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
No longer was the show building season-long plots around how megachurch culture has helped turn modern-day Christianity into a hotbed of self-congratulation and greed; that was now subtext.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 5 May 2025
At what should be a moment of self-congratulation, however, the foundation, which gives away $9 billion each year, is facing grave threats to both its work and its future.
—Theodore Schleifer, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Some progress is being made, and ongoing self-congratulations are occurring.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 4 May 2025
All that and a certain culture of self-congratulation at Choose Chicago and a bit of Midwestern myopia, too.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 6 Apr. 2025
Instead, Americans got a speech completely detached from reality full of self-congratulations.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 5 Mar. 2025
Liam Twomey, New York Times, 17 June 2025
What bothers me more is the tone of self-congratulation that accompanies a project that has precious little to do with restorative justice.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 30 May 2025
The rollout comes with the usual self-congratulation.
—Brandon Kochkodin, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
No longer was the show building season-long plots around how megachurch culture has helped turn modern-day Christianity into a hotbed of self-congratulation and greed; that was now subtext.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 5 May 2025
At what should be a moment of self-congratulation, however, the foundation, which gives away $9 billion each year, is facing grave threats to both its work and its future.
—Theodore Schleifer, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Some progress is being made, and ongoing self-congratulations are occurring.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 4 May 2025
All that and a certain culture of self-congratulation at Choose Chicago and a bit of Midwestern myopia, too.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 6 Apr. 2025
Instead, Americans got a speech completely detached from reality full of self-congratulations.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 5 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-congratulation
Noun
-
The main bedroom included a four-poster mahogany bed, a fireplace, a love seat, and a small table, while the bathroom offered dual vanities, ample closet space, and a deep soaking tub.—
Carole Dixon,
Travel + Leisure,
18 June 2025
-
Fire vanity projects and double down on core values.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
Noun
-
When egos are set aside, silos are broken, and people move as one — kids are found, hope is restored, and the system starts to change.—
Chloe Mayer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 June 2025
-
The recent taco taunting has been a blow to his fragile ego that couldn’t go unanswered.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
23 June 2025
Noun
-
Tall soldiers, the pride of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century armies—and in the case of Frederick William I of Prussia’s Potsdam Giants, a virtual fetish—became a liability on nineteenth-century battlefields.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
28 June 2025
-
Meanwhile, the Pride Month display at the Stonewall National Monument excluded transgender pride flags this year, according to ABC News.—
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 June 2025
Noun
-
The lines between competitive stubbornness and plain old stubbornness, a healthy arrogance and prideful ignorance are pretty thin.—
Will Graves,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 June 2025
-
Individuals with big egos display excessive pride in their abilities and accomplishments, often leading to arrogance and overconfidence.—
AllBusiness,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
Noun
-
The reasons include a stale concept, slow innovation, and operational complacency.—
Jim Osman,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2025
-
If curiosity is a significant part of our DNA, another part is the fear of complacency, a fear of fear, of getting stuck.—
William Earl,
Variety,
11 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-congratulation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-congratulation. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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