as in smug
having too high an opinion of oneself
a self-important businessman who believed his schedule mattered more than anyone else's
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of self-important
And women who foreground themselves in any capacity are often perceived to be self-important drama queens, or narcissists.
—
Sophie Gilbert,
The Atlantic,
22 Dec. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for self-important
Sophie Gilbert,
The Atlantic,
22 Dec. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for self-important
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-important
Adjective
-
Most smug articles and books that claim to provide quick fixes come off as tone-deaf or even counterproductive.
-
But the series’ central character, played by Rachel Weisz, has enough nervous, itchy, manic energy to make the show’s narrative structure feel purposely unstable rather than safely smug.
Adjective
-
The passage is incoherent, yet, in conflating progressive reform with arrogant blind faith, it is perfectly suited to Vance’s cynical conservatism.
-
To no one’s surprise, Bonnie is immediately transfixed by her Lilypad (voiced by Greta Lee, whose arrogant smarm effectively threads the needle between Maya Hawke’s Anxiety and Regina George’s everything else).
Adjective
-
Mamdani, proud of his socialist values, had developed a language for communicating a collective, interdependent vision of city life through his consistent emphasis on affordability.
-
This is also where the film dips into the past and becomes awash in the proud history of Hawaiian surfing, bowing at the legend of the great Duke Kahanamoku and going deep into others and how the sport became such a religion for many, notably devotee Kristen.
Adjective
-
Tristan Peters made a vain dive for the ball, which got past him and allowed both baserunners to score.
-
Sending him out to sell a vague agreement with Iran is unlikely to win over the hawks who wonder why Tehran is getting off so lightly and whether the war was in vain.
Adjective
-
Claire’s elective death therefore remains a problematic choice for some viewers, an act of vainglorious selfishness from a woman who was never terribly nice to begin with.
-
She’s been warning us since 1818 that vainglorious innovators will destroy the earth.
Adjective
-
Avoid Burying Praise in Negatives To avoid making children too conceited, parents might bury praise in the midst of negatives.
-
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.
Cite this Entry
“Self-important.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-important. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
