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
Relevance
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
And no scripture condones the smug enjoyment of it.
—Hannah Sacks, People.com, 30 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
And no scripture condones the smug enjoyment of it.
—Hannah Sacks, People.com, 30 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
-
Commissioner Cristina Eveillard later said the sheriff was arrogant.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
20 Sep. 2025
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The lies begin as soon as Max encounters Guillermo, an arrogant nepo baby who blamed him for Ane’s death but now pretends to accept his apology.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Keeping a tidy home often feels like a never-ending list of chores, from sweeping up crumbs after dinner to deep cleaning bathtubs and baseboards.—
Maggie Horton,
PEOPLE,
26 Sep. 2025
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The lanky midfielder impacted the game by always being in the right place, rarely making mistakes, keeping the game simple with neat, tidy ball recoveries and pinpoint passes through spaces others rarely saw.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The low-key setting — a 6-0 thrashing of third tier opposition in the Carabao Cup third round — does not diminish the quality of strikes that Gomez’s former Inter Miami team-mate Lionel Messi would have been proud of.—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
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In the carousel, the proud parents shared the first photos of their newborn, as well as several pictures of their family of four.—
Kayla Grant,
PEOPLE,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
All the flavor components of Caesar salad are wrapped in that neat bundle.—
Susan Selasky,
Freep.com,
27 Sep. 2025
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The lanky midfielder impacted the game by always being in the right place, rarely making mistakes, keeping the game simple with neat, tidy ball recoveries and pinpoint passes through spaces others rarely saw.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Freeland, a trim fifty-four-year-old who served as a pilot in the Marines, said that the Osprey attracted disproportionate criticism because of its novel tilt-rotor technology, and that many helicopters crashed just as often, if not more, when they were first introduced.—
Seth Harp,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
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Some varieties only need a light trim, while other varieties need a full pruning to get them through winter.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Was Paul McLaughlin’s death in vain?—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain.—
Lina Ruiz,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
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 29 Sep. 2025.
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