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
In fact, Martineau’s sign angered plenty of Democrats, some of whom were already worried that smug liberal activists are harming the party.
—
David Weigel, semafor.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Perhaps the frustration this time will be mitigated slightly as EV owners feel a bit smug about eliminating range anxiety.
—Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
There really was a secret cabal of the rich and powerful who committed horrific crimes, smug in the knowledge that their money and power would protect them.
—Pat Beall, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 July 2025
And aren’t the organized terrorist groups smug and self-satisfied that their civilian proxies, many here in the United States, are doing their dirty work for them?
—Diane Gensler, Baltimore Sun, 26 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for smug
David Weigel, semafor.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Perhaps the frustration this time will be mitigated slightly as EV owners feel a bit smug about eliminating range anxiety.
—Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
There really was a secret cabal of the rich and powerful who committed horrific crimes, smug in the knowledge that their money and power would protect them.
—Pat Beall, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 July 2025
And aren’t the organized terrorist groups smug and self-satisfied that their civilian proxies, many here in the United States, are doing their dirty work for them?
—Diane Gensler, Baltimore Sun, 26 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for smug
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smug
Adjective
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Three or four decades ago, the newspaperman was appealingly raffish—at once a bum who drank too much and a knight-errant who charged unafraid at social injustice, succored the weak, and crossed lances with the powerful and arrogant.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
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Elsewhere, the details lifted from the book suffer in translation – Branagh’s Victor is appropriately arrogant but not adequately tortured; De Niro’s Monster is sensitive and intuitive, but drowns in the film’s hurried, hollow second half.—
Rory Doherty,
Vulture,
20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Inside, there’s a mesh divider pocket to keep things tidy and the zippered closure keeps everything secure.—
Nora Colomer
may earn a commission if you buy through our referral links. This content was created by a team that works independently from the Fox newsroom.,
FOXNews.com,
24 Oct. 2025
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Sabrina Carpenter is a tidy 5′ tall.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Both of our co-founders, along with much of our leadership team, are proud Kentucky natives.—
Olivia Evans,
Louisville Courier Journal,
23 Oct. 2025
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In photos from the show, the proud mom and aunt could be seen walking down the runway hand-in-hand with her two sons, while Zaya led the way in front of them.—
Kayla Grant,
PEOPLE,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
However, experts told McClatchy News that politically motivated attacks often defy neat categorization.—
Brendan Rascius,
Miami Herald,
24 Oct. 2025
-
The neat man called Abdi gave me one precise nod.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The recall comes six months after Tesla and the NHTSA recalled roughly 46,000 Cybertrucks that were at risk of a trim panel detaching.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
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This method for choosing a color scheme pairs a soft neutral for the walls, a crisp white for trim, baseboards, and ceilings, and a deeper version of the wall color for doors or window frames.—
Elizabeth Fogarty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The first-half goal from Danish forward Mikael Uhre was enough to take the Union to a 20th win of the campaign and an insurmountable 66 points, meaning Inter Miami’s 4-1 win over the New England Revolution was in vain.—
The Athletic Staff,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
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The Dash, at any moment, may try in vain to dock again to change her fate.—
Leanna Renee Hieber,
Big Think,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The kooky characters surrounding Judge Stone included the conceited prosecutor Dan Fielding (John Larroquette), the imposing bailiff Bull Shannon (Richard Moll), and the idealistic public defender Christine Sullivan (Markie Post), each of whom had various quirks of their own.—
Dan Heching,
EW.com,
28 Aug. 2025
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This is the worst kind of football team: a conceited but objectively mediocre squad.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
The Mercury News,
17 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Like Muscle Man, Mixtape follows a self-important, inarticulate mediocrity on the fringe of a minor American metropolis.—
Robert Rubsam,
Vulture,
18 Sep. 2025
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Their music provided a suitably self-important soundtrack as Great Recession-era artisanal hipsterdom faded into the careerist hopefulness of the latter Obama years, when Everlane minimalism supplanted lumberjack plaid.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
13 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smug.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smug. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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