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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smugness
Noun
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There was no vanity in her, which is what Fran McDormand had.—
Anne Thompson,
IndieWire,
9 Sep. 2025 -
The homeowner’s suite, comprising a large bedroom, a sitting/dressing room, lots of closet space, and a bathroom with marble vanities, spills onto a deck overlooking the yard.—
Mark David,
Robb Report,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Thanks to his clever punchlines that carry zero sting, the biggest names in TV can leave the ceremony with unbruised egos.—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
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This wasn’t a choice that should have been left to an individual’s ego, an individual’s ambition.—
StyleCaster Editors,
StyleCaster,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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As if back in character, Colfer sported a massive smile, while O'Malley pointed his finger at Colfer in pride with a poker face.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Sep. 2025
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Have a few rounds of Guinness pulled with pride, maybe a scotch sour.—
The Bon Appétit Staff,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Mitchell prides himself on being a no-nonsense, no-bulls*** kind of man, but his attitude can sometimes come across as arrogance.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
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This arrogance is not just limited to tech titans.—
Christian Josi,
Boston Herald,
31 Aug. 2025
Noun
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There is no room for complacency.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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Still, having one’s ideas confirmed too often risks complacency.—
Nathaniel Moore
September 10,
Literary Hub,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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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
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Just as there’s no dramatic build-up to Maria landing the part, there’s no romance to the process of acting it, nor the slightest whiff of self-satisfaction in recreating iconic scenes.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
21 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Smugness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smugness. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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