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
China has even more reason to be smug.
—
Andreas Kluth, Twin Cities, 14 Apr. 2026
Bateman’s Clark is comfortably semi-famous, semi-smug and also, maybe, a decent guy.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 24 Mar. 2026
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
When other models stumble, Gemini is smug.
—Tharin Pillay, Time, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for smug
Andreas Kluth, Twin Cities, 14 Apr. 2026
Bateman’s Clark is comfortably semi-famous, semi-smug and also, maybe, a decent guy.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 24 Mar. 2026
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
When other models stumble, Gemini is smug.
—Tharin Pillay, Time, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for smug
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smug
Adjective
-
Not even the pork choppers were as arrogant and scornful of voting rights as the current mob.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
11 May 2026
-
Of course, David went on to build one of the most illustrious careers in television with characters who are often arrogant, petty and unlikable by traditional media standards.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
Jonathan Gregg plays pedal steel, an ambient-country must, and has a tidy Americana background.—
Brian Howe,
Pitchfork,
12 May 2026
-
Keeping the surrounding area tidy also helps.—
Jessica Safavimehr,
Southern Living,
12 May 2026
Adjective
-
The people are so welcoming and friendly and proud of their city And there’s great food.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
11 May 2026
-
After three years in the Eurovision wilderness, Romania makes a loud-and-proud comeback with a propulsive blend of nu-metal guitars, angsty melodies, and operatic trills worthy of a hand-horn salute.—
Jon O'Brien,
Vulture,
11 May 2026
Adjective
-
The new limited series was adapted by Zoe Kazan, in a neat bit of meta packaging.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
14 May 2026
-
For such a long and winding season, the last game was also a surprisingly neat bow.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Adjective
-
All is not only vanity; all is in vain.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
12 May 2026
-
Like other Democrats, Gillibrand also tried in vain to get Hegseth to answer questions about a deadly strike on an Iranian elementary girls school that killed more than 165 people, including many children.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
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
-
Range is as much as 312 miles, depending on trim level.—
James Raia,
Mercury News,
4 May 2026
-
Flour tortillas have been having a moment here for a while, and now the trim, tortilla-forward northern-Mexican burrito has stepped into the spotlight.—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
3 May 2026
Adjective
-
Self-righteous and self-important, priggish and nagging.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
6 May 2026
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Smug.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smug. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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