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
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
Oftentimes, these calls can be filled with fluff and self-congratulations — sometimes well-deserved, other times less so.
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 18 Feb. 2025
In a night full of self-congratulation, Chu’s speech was maybe the most self-congratulatory, somehow trying to make the case that the film was saving the world and also about … radical optimism?
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 6 Jan. 2025
There’s a constant and consistent need for self-congratulation that dampens the research on display here.
—Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 23 Nov. 2024
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
Oftentimes, these calls can be filled with fluff and self-congratulations — sometimes well-deserved, other times less so.
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 18 Feb. 2025
In a night full of self-congratulation, Chu’s speech was maybe the most self-congratulatory, somehow trying to make the case that the film was saving the world and also about … radical optimism?
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 6 Jan. 2025
There’s a constant and consistent need for self-congratulation that dampens the research on display here.
—Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 23 Nov. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-congratulation
Noun
-
Fueled by new data and shifting cultural values, injectables are being redefined—not as vanity, but as a personalized pathway to confidence, wellness, and long-term care.—
Corein Carter,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2025
-
In a hot pink colorway, the clutch will become your vanity’s newest conversation piece.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
22 May 2025
Noun
-
My coat and my ego were a bit tarnished as my husband rushed to help me up.—
James Barron,
New York Times,
15 May 2025
-
Also, any shred of ego one has left after a lifetime of motherhood and being a caregiver/support person will get completely zeroed out while milling around a bunch of athletes.—
Denise Snodell,
Kansas City Star,
14 May 2025
Noun
-
South Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighters party defended its inflammatory leader against President Donald Trump’s criticisms over calls for violence against white people, taking it as a sign of pride.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
22 May 2025
-
From faculty and alumni to area businesses, the expressions of pride in Harvard’s stance for academic freedom are effusive.—
Jacob Posner,
Christian Science Monitor,
22 May 2025
Noun
-
The Knicks have pulled it off by being resilient, near perfect in spurts and with the help of arrogance from the opponent.—
James L. Edwards III,
New York Times,
15 May 2025
-
Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way.—
Jeannie Suk Gersen,
New Yorker,
15 May 2025
Noun
-
One of fantasy managers’ most common errors is complacency, usually on better teams.—
John Laghezza,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
-
The pandemic election of 2020 and the post-Dobbs midterms in 2022 lulled top party officials into a dangerous complacency.—
Charlotte Alter,
Time,
19 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-congratulation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-congratulation. Accessed 30 May. 2025.
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