as in vanity
an often unjustified feeling of being pleased with oneself or with one's situation or achievements
the sense of smugness that can come with too many easy victories
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Recent Examples of smugness
Where Spider masked his incompetence with bravado and abrasiveness, Claude put up a thin layer of smugness that collapsed when faced with even a tiny amount of resistance.
—
Brian Grubb, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2025
Brian Grubb, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smugness
Noun
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In the owner’s en suite, Heesen replaced one of the original dual toilets with a vanity area.—
Julia Zaltzman,
Robb Report,
27 Oct. 2025
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At the same time, invisibility has come as a relief, insofar as my vanity always kept company with self-consciousness and self-flagellation.—
Lucinda Rosenfeld,
New Yorker,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Bonitzer twists those facts into a story of clashing egos and huge commissions, with André doing his best to broker a sale while respecting the wishes of the paintings’ rightful heirs, as well of those of his money-hungry employer.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Oct. 2025
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Milei caters masterfully to Trump’s ego and will be president even if his party loses seats in Argentina’s legislature.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
26 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Quiroga Chaparro fled Colombia to escape persecution based on his sexuality after attending a gay pride event, his husband said.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
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Agnes was a passionate historian, who took great pride in preserving her family’s rich history.—
Bea L. Hines,
Miami Herald,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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This propensity for mental acrobatics, alongside his immense arrogance, was how Epstein rationalized his crimes to himself.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
25 Oct. 2025
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Using him comes across as arrogance.—
Joe Nguyen,
Denver Post,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Great political filmmakers, by confronting not only the complacencies of popular political filmmaking but the doctrinal comfort zone of the art-house audience, revitalize their own art.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
30 Oct. 2025
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Kings coach Doug Christie warned against complacency as his team prepared to face a shorthanded Los Angeles Lakers squad with LeBron James and Luka Doncic sidelined due to injuries.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
26 Oct. 2025
Noun
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After a precise drone and cruise missile successfully hit Saudi Arabia’s vital oil infrastructure in September 2019, Russia could hardly conceal its delight and self-satisfaction.—
Paul Iddon,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
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Trump himself personifies stupidity’s essential feature — self-satisfaction, an inability to recognize the flaws in your thinking.—
David Brooks,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smugness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smugness. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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