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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smugness
Noun
-
Happy Valentine’s Day card The vanity in the dressing room of the pop-up is the Easter egg mother lode, according to the Spotify reps, who encouraged us to look closely on it for clues.—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
30 Sep. 2025 -
This means cleaning your toilet, vanity countertops, and scrubbing the shower door and tiles.—
Sarah Lyon,
Southern Living,
28 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Powers is really a one-time star quarterback Russ Holliday who bowed out of the game in disgrace following an incident where his oversized ego over-engaged with a fan.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Well, there are 8 billion people in the world and some of them have very strong egos and some are very rich.—
Rob Stein,
NPR,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
From chemistry to caring Ramirez was born in Zacatecas, Mexico, known for its silver mines, agriculture, and strong cultural pride.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Christene Chadwick Moss, the first African-American female board president of Fort Worth ISD, said that, as principal, Benton dedicated herself to enhancing Dunbar’s environment and fostering a strong sense of pride and community — even when people doubted if a woman could do the job.—
Kamal Morgan,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The series follows the fictional Holliday, a former star whose arrogance burned every bridge.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Blenkin told Variety in September 2025 that his character's laughter comes from arrogance.—
Christopher Rudolph,
PEOPLE,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The executives have chuckled at the team’s seeming complacency and incapacity for change, which culminated in a 43-119 record in 2025, a finish that put the club on par with the 2024 Chicago White Sox and 1962 New York Mets in terms of futility.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
-
There is a difference between comfort and complacency.—
Melissa Mason,
Refinery29,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
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
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.
Cite this Entry
“Smugness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smugness. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share