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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Recent Examples of self-important
The adults in Moonrise Kingdom are either thoroughly unhappy, in the case of Suzy’s parents (played by Frances McDormand and Bill Murray), or rather delusional, like Sam’s self-important troop master (Edward Norton).
—
Shannon Carlin, Time, 30 May 2025
Matt and his direct reports quickly reveal themselves to be spineless, self-important, thin-skinned, and out of touch.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 5 May 2025
His cruel caricature of the technocratic, self-important, and sometimes petty bureaucratic culture of the commission is largely accurate.
—Andrew Moravcsik, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2019
So many of the latter comes thanks to Niecy Nash’s Nurse DiDi, who seems to take the time to see her patients as worthwhile much more often than her cohorts, the self-important Dr. Jenna James (Laurie Metcalf) and pitiful nurse Dawn (Alex Borstein).
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-important
Shannon Carlin, Time, 30 May 2025
Matt and his direct reports quickly reveal themselves to be spineless, self-important, thin-skinned, and out of touch.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 5 May 2025
His cruel caricature of the technocratic, self-important, and sometimes petty bureaucratic culture of the commission is largely accurate.
—Andrew Moravcsik, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2019
So many of the latter comes thanks to Niecy Nash’s Nurse DiDi, who seems to take the time to see her patients as worthwhile much more often than her cohorts, the self-important Dr. Jenna James (Laurie Metcalf) and pitiful nurse Dawn (Alex Borstein).
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-important
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-important
Adjective
-
Bertha was right, George is being a jerk, and Larry needs to wipe that smug smile off his face.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
11 Aug. 2025
-
And no scripture condones the smug enjoyment of it.—
Hannah Sacks,
People.com,
30 July 2025
Adjective
-
Depicting Americans as arrogant, loud, boorish and demeaning of other cultures, the term has stuck and is still mentioned 60-plus years later.—
Jenny Peters,
Oc Register,
4 Aug. 2025
-
The most radical overhaul of the tax code in our state’s history would require voter approval in November 2026, and that starts by portraying local governments as cartoonishly arrogant, bloated and unaccountable.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 July 2025
Adjective
-
Cena gets to show off his mane of hair while playing Peacemaker, the egotistical vigilante that made his debut in 2021's Suicide Squad and now leads the acclaimed HBO Max series also starring Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, and Jennifer Holland.—
Mekishana Pierre,
EW.com,
6 Aug. 2025
-
Such an obvious way to exhibit his egotistical personality.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
22 June 2025
Adjective
-
Next time, put your phone away, watch, and be proud.—
Janine Clements,
Miami Herald,
19 Aug. 2025
-
This is a proud program with a history of success, but Southern Miss has fallen on hard times, with four losing records in the last five seasons.—
Antonio Morales,
New York Times,
19 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Beforehand, Quiet tries to comfort John and reassure him that Dollface’s death won’t be in vain.—
Rafael Motamayor,
Vulture,
14 Aug. 2025
-
Needless to say, all these vain, privileged, self-promoting jerks are soon going to make CW’s acquaintance, then regret it — even as vengeful Madison zeroes in on that lady’s whereabouts.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The real real thing tended to be rather different: clumsy, ad hoc, vainglorious—and secret.—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harpers Magazine,
16 July 2025
-
Here, too, in the Airfix models and the vainglorious LP collection is the solitary self-curation of the only child—the kid who can’t dash from his bedroom to a sibling’s, model or record in hand.—
James Wood,
New Yorker,
14 July 2025
Adjective
-
This is the worst kind of football team: a conceited but objectively mediocre squad.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
The Mercury News,
17 Nov. 2024
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Rory Kinnear steals some of the best lines as the conceited British prime minister, and Ato Essandoh, as Kate’s deputy chief, plays the ever-flustered man surrounded by extremely capable women with admirable humor, charm, and confidence.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
30 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Brands that create fabulous-looking but pompous and pretentious campaigns just feel inauthentic.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
31 July 2025
-
Louis Partridge will take on Mr Darcy’s nemesis, Mr Wickham with Jamie Demetriou turning his hand to the pompous Mr Collins and Fiona Shaw as the fearsome Lady Catherine de Bourg.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
29 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-important.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-important. Accessed 23 Aug. 2025.
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