Synonyms of smug

smug

adjective

ˈsməg 

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

• arrogant
• proud
• conceited
• self-important
• complacent
• self-satisfied
• vainglorious
• vain
• pompous
• bigheaded
• egotistic
• selfish
• egoistic
• prideful
• confident
• stuck-up
• domineering
• important
• self-conceited
• supercilious
• assured
• cocky
• overweening
• snobbish
• biggety
• consequential
• boastful
• haughty
• snooty
• bumptious
• snobby
• high-and-mighty
• bombastic
• swaggering
• uppity
• self-opinionated
• braggy
• swellheaded
• blusterous
• blustery
• assumptive
• bragging
• disdainful
• cavalier
• holier-than-thou
• pretentious
• huffy
• overconfident
• braggart
• pontifical
• chesty
• uppish
• high-handed
• self-assured
• condescending
• superior
• self-assertive
• self-confident
• high-hat
• presumptuous
• lordly
• masterful
• fastuous
• toplofty
• patronizing
• imperious
• self-centered
• peremptory
• self-congratulatory
• self-contented
• presuming
• lofty
• highfalutin
• self-asserting
• self-glorifying
• self-promoting
• self-dramatizing
• self-engrossed
• self-gratulatory
• self-adulatory
• self-applauding
• self-affected

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• humble
• modest
• diffident
• egoless
• timid
• meek
• self-critical
• unassertive
• uncomplacent
• unassuming
• sheepish
• down-to-earth
• unpretentious
• self-doubting
• bashful
• self-reproachful
• shy
• introverted
• shrinking
• self-distrustful
• mousy
• retiring
• self-reproving
• demure
• overmodest
• unarrogant

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

• tidy
• neat
• tidied
• trim
• picked up
• prim
• crisp
• uncluttered
• orderly
• antiseptic
• snug
• groomed
• kempt
• shipshape
• well-groomed
• trig
• dapper
• immaculate
• saucy
• sleek
• spiffy
• organized
• natty
• rakish
• spotless
• bandbox
• smart
• taut
• streamlined
• spruce
• systematic
• spick-and-span
• straight

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• slovenly
• disheveled
• messy
• unkempt
• untidy
• disorderly
• disordered
• sloppy
• shabby
• scruffy
• dirty
• filthy
• seedy
• slipshod
• nasty
• sordid
• squalid
• foul
• sloven
• mussy
• mussed
• rumpled
• dowdy
• disorganized
• tumbled
• frowsy
• unsystematic
• tousled

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of smug

Federer, especially—unperturbed, smug, highly punchable—seems to have brought an almost martyr-like tenacity out of Nadal. — Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 6 June 2026

Most smug articles and books that claim to provide quick fixes come off as tone-deaf or even counterproductive. — Anna Holmes, The Atlantic, 27 May 2026

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. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 4 May 2026

McDaniels, who cut through the Nuggets’ egos early in the series with fearless words and a smug grin, got the last laugh. — Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 1 May 2026