1
as in arrogance
an exaggerated sense of one's importance that shows itself in the making of excessive or unjustified claims
the boxer's flamboyant self-importance often made for a colorful prefight press conference
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2
as in vanity
an often unjustified feeling of being pleased with oneself or with one's situation or achievements
her overbearing self-importance has given her a sense of entitlement
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Examples of self-importance in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Only in America could men like Donald Trump and Roy Cohn exist — their greed, their lust for power, their belief in themselves and their self-importance a product of the myths of independence and self-reliance they were fed since birth.
—
Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2024
And then there were the two best additions to the cast, the witchy Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin) and the chronically nonplussed Simon Strong (Simon Russell Beale), neither of whom could be arsed to put up with Daemon’s brooding self-importance.
—Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2024
Chalk up their bravado to self-importance—but also to a need for attention and personal gain.
—Nick Rockel, Fortune, 26 July 2024
The movie does not begrudge him his self-importance.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 12 July 2024
His talent-search shows, Making the Band and Making His Band, demonstrated the veteran producer’s eye and ear for a successful singing group while revealing a taskmaster’s self-importance.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2024
Molloy began the series as an arch commentator who punctured the vampires’ self-importance, and still plays that part in Season 2.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 12 May 2024
If punk was rejecting the self-importance of previous generations, few punks were so jubilant and so careful in their attacks.
—Stephen Deusner, SPIN, 26 Mar. 2024
Ohtani doesn’t walk around with the self-importance of a player who signed a $700-million contract over the winter, and his low-key demeanor has won over many of the people who share his new workspace.
—Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2024
Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2024
And then there were the two best additions to the cast, the witchy Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin) and the chronically nonplussed Simon Strong (Simon Russell Beale), neither of whom could be arsed to put up with Daemon’s brooding self-importance.
—Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2024
Chalk up their bravado to self-importance—but also to a need for attention and personal gain.
—Nick Rockel, Fortune, 26 July 2024
The movie does not begrudge him his self-importance.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 12 July 2024
His talent-search shows, Making the Band and Making His Band, demonstrated the veteran producer’s eye and ear for a successful singing group while revealing a taskmaster’s self-importance.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2024
Molloy began the series as an arch commentator who punctured the vampires’ self-importance, and still plays that part in Season 2.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 12 May 2024
If punk was rejecting the self-importance of previous generations, few punks were so jubilant and so careful in their attacks.
—Stephen Deusner, SPIN, 26 Mar. 2024
Ohtani doesn’t walk around with the self-importance of a player who signed a $700-million contract over the winter, and his low-key demeanor has won over many of the people who share his new workspace.
—Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'self-importance.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Self-importance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-importance. Accessed 17 Sep. 2024.
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