as in smug
having too high an opinion of oneself
a self-important businessman who believed his schedule mattered more than anyone else's
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of self-important
Jeffrey Tambor Known for playing the pompous, self-important mayor of Whoville, Jeffery Tambor also has an esteemed career across television and film.
—
Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
Not to throw shade, but Aries can be self-important, similarly to how Collins deals with his relationship to others.
—Lisa Stardust, PEOPLE, 22 Nov. 2025
Putting on a show that’s self-important at worst, familiar and forced at best, this frustrating fever dream (a generous term) offers only a handful of surprises to the average horror fan.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 13 Nov. 2025
Like Muscle Man, Mixtape follows a self-important, inarticulate mediocrity on the fringe of a minor American metropolis.
—Robert Rubsam, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-important
Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
Not to throw shade, but Aries can be self-important, similarly to how Collins deals with his relationship to others.
—Lisa Stardust, PEOPLE, 22 Nov. 2025
Putting on a show that’s self-important at worst, familiar and forced at best, this frustrating fever dream (a generous term) offers only a handful of surprises to the average horror fan.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 13 Nov. 2025
Like Muscle Man, Mixtape follows a self-important, inarticulate mediocrity on the fringe of a minor American metropolis.
—Robert Rubsam, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-important
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-important
Adjective
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Over Your Dead Body is not for the faint of heart, but give or take a rape threat that crosses the line into smug sadism without quite seeming to realize it, the violence lands as more comically cartoonish than horrific.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Mar. 2026
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The ceremony has remained a smug political distraction ever since.—
Angelica Jade Bastién,
Vulture,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The rabbi is ornery, arrogant, sometimes cruel.—
Daniel Felsenthal,
Vulture,
26 Mar. 2026
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Those leaders who ignore or flout the law aren’t merely unethical but fatally arrogant, putting their childish willfulness over the wisdom of generations.—
David Brooks,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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One of his proudest accomplishments was creating the FWISD Scholar Athlete Award program.—
Kamal Morgan,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Mar. 2026
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On the question of T-pop’s rising global profile, Satur is proud but measured.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Indeed, the Abbé pontificates on pretty much every topic known to man as the pair try in vain to tunnel their way to freedom.—
Jon O'Brien,
IndieWire,
19 Mar. 2026
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There’s a version in which Zoro has a vain desire to be remembered.—
Abbey White,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The vainglorious demands of one man who can’t read a map? Concerned leaders in both parties should explain to the citizens of the United States how much peril Trump is courting.—
Tom Nichols,
The Atlantic,
14 Jan. 2026
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The attention to amusing detail is evident throughout, from the vainglorious mayor’s ample display of chest fur to the very long wintry outfit Gary De’Snake wears in snowy conditions.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Avoid Burying Praise in Negatives To avoid making children too conceited, parents might bury praise in the midst of negatives.—
Wayne Parker,
Parents,
8 Mar. 2026
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The Pitt definitely feels like the type of workplace where conceited doctors-in-training are pretty much guaranteed to quickly get knocked down a peg.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Self-important.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-important. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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