SMUGNESS Synonyms: 71 Similar and Opposite Words

smugness

noun

Definition of smugness

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of smugness That joke, which McNamara hits with a palpable sparkle of smugness, illustrates how deliciously blunt her comedic sensibility is. — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026 Even if the movie gets a bit crazy in an apocalyptic epilogue, its picture of bourgeois smugness due for a takedown is delicious. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026 The demon was largely limited to one expression — smugness — and was inexplicably the only character who spoke Japanese. — Corbin Bolies, Variety, 10 June 2026 One widespread subspecies endemic to the area is the haughty Cardinal, recognized by its bright-red plumage and smugness about winning a dozen National League Central crowns. — Robert Annis, Midwest Living, 31 May 2026 At one point, Catherine and I landed on the topic of smugness as an obstacle to creativity. — Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 24 May 2026 Excitement—and smugness—hangs in London’s air since the city has gained its own outpost of the sceney eatery. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026 Their attitude, their smugness was palpable. — Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 21 Mar. 2026 The smugness is thicker than split pea. — Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 4 Dec. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for smugness

Noun

My suite was beyond spacious, with a full entryway with desk and wetbar giving way to a seating area; large, plush bed; then a closet and vanity area leading into a massive bathroom—which had a full soaking tub and two pedestal sinks.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
HomePop Clover Shaped Ottoman A decorative pouf can wear many hats—vanity seating, an extra chair for company, or even a foot stool in lieu of a chaise.

— Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of vanity

Noun

For Weinberg, learning from those failures requires putting ego aside and taking an honest look at what went wrong—and what worked.

— Preston Fore, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026
His ego is in exact inverse proportion to Ilya’s, which is part of what makes Garfield and Borisov play so beautifully off each other.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of ego

Noun

Kalhammer’s Bowery Nation, which could have given its name to the exhibition, conveys the show’s intensely personal civic pride—its Campanilismo.

— J. Hoberman, ARTnews.com, 9 Oct. 2026
The new foursome watched with pride two months later as the Artemis II astronauts flew around the moon.

— Marcia Dunn, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of pride

Noun

Ilya is looking for work as an assistant, and the professor, with his dandyish nerd arrogance, tells him to look at a paper he’s written and come back in a few days.

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026
This standalone novel looks at the cult of celebrity, the bond among parents and children, entitlement and arrogance, all wrapped into a tightly wound plot that’s an evocative historical steeped in the Great Depression.

— Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of arrogance

Noun

The lack of protest songs in today’s music industry has inspired many think pieces exploring what happened and whether it can be attributed to factors like a more general complacency among artists or fear from their record labels.

— Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026
As a result, #NiUnaMenos, a feminist group that originated in Argentina and whose aim is to combat complacency in societies that experience femicides, has taken root in Mexico.

— Daniel Peña, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of complacency

Noun

His face is a mix of affectlessness and self-satisfaction, putting him somewhere between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, with a touch of the Cheshire cat.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026
After 50 minutes of self-satisfaction, the hero fades serenely into a sunset that Dudamel made miraculously mystical.

— Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026

Definition of self-satisfaction

Browse Nearby Words

smuggling

smugness

smut

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Smugness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smugness. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of smugness

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

abscond

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Why do we call it a 'flea market'?

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes