1
as in arrogant
having too high an opinion of oneself
a winner who was so smug that he lost the goodwill of the crowd
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in tidy
being clean and in good order
the suburb's smug lawns and tree-lined streets bespeak a comfortable affluence
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of smug
But there’s a throughline in Smith’s most popular works — he’s been cast repeatedly as a villain, and usually an arrogant or smug one.
—
Sophia Solano, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2026
But that poem is no smug cliché.
—Judy Berman, Time, 8 Jan. 2026
Our friends have started getting engaged in slow, smug succession, one proposal announcement after another.
—Eileen Kelly, Vogue, 16 Dec. 2025
And the smug, menacing man that Hamish Linklater was portraying?
—Ew Staff December 5, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smug
Sophia Solano, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2026
But that poem is no smug cliché.
—Judy Berman, Time, 8 Jan. 2026
Our friends have started getting engaged in slow, smug succession, one proposal announcement after another.
—Eileen Kelly, Vogue, 16 Dec. 2025
And the smug, menacing man that Hamish Linklater was portraying?
—Ew Staff December 5, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smug
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smug
Adjective
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This is an organization that can be frustratingly set in its ways and arrogant in its belief that there’s no better way.—
Jeff Zrebiec,
New York Times,
10 Mar. 2026
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Planning for more than 11 contests out of Dobbins, something only produced twice over his first six NFL seasons, isn’t just arrogant.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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All restomods are a substantial investment in time and financial resources, and the Wood & Pickett Mini by Callum doesn’t buck that trend, considering a tidy original Cooper S is half the price.—
Tim Pitt,
Robb Report,
10 Mar. 2026
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Because things aren’t always as tidy as a win-loss record or conference seeding might suggest.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Nicole Hensley came to Ball Arena a year ago, proud and excited to be part of the first PWHL game in her hometown.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
16 Mar. 2026
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Authentic and proud cultural celebrations, luaus are uniquely entertaining and, at times, simply mesmerizing with Polynesian dancing and drumming as well as chants, songs and stories about ancient traditions, legends and epic Pacific Ocean migrations.—
Ben Davidson,
Mercury News,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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For more than a century, academics identified this statue as conveying a calm, neat, and virtuous masculinity.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
10 Mar. 2026
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Putting it in spring training was always a neat solution, but don’t the game’s best players deserve to give their all in a competition that will bring glory and pride to their home nations?—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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In her final words, a Bronx mother cops say was stabbed to death by her longtime boyfriend apologized to her children — who witnessed her bloody slaying and tried in vain to stop it.—
Roni Jacobson,
New York Daily News,
2 Mar. 2026
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All parents battle that wall, nearly always in vain.—
Yiyun Li,
New Yorker,
1 Mar. 2026
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
Adjective
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Opting for ornate hardware and rings or adding a trim detail above the window—or to the fabric itself—can also help to give lighter curtains more substance.—
Nishaa Sharma,
The Spruce,
5 Mar. 2026
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Some of the South’s top interior designers reassure us that there is a time and place for matching trim-wall combos, and other scenarios when contrast is encouraged.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Only this time the interns are boring Gen Z stereotypes (obsessed with TikTok, too sensitive, too emotional, too self-important).—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
25 Feb. 2026
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This isn’t just one self-important critic’s opinion — Berry herself has talked about it.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smug.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smug. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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