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
The smugness is thicker than split pea.
—
Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 4 Dec. 2025
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
Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 4 Dec. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smugness
Noun
-
With the world seemingly hell-bent on her failure, indulging in the vanities of self-adornment is of little importance to Linda.—
Daniel Rodgers,
Vogue,
22 Feb. 2026
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Lawrence is also a fan of incorporating a waterfall countertop on bathroom vanities or smaller kitchens with a peninsula countertop.—
Patricia Shannon,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
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But all options should be considered, using our adult egos.—
Harvey Levine,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Participants are urged to restrain harmful speech, dishonesty, anger and ego.—
Irfan Sarwar,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
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On the men’s side, Zuccarello takes pride in his country’s 19-year streak of appearing at the World Championships, and two Norwegians — Brandsegg-Nygård (Detroit) and Stian Solberg (Anaheim) — were drafted in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft.—
Peter Baugh,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
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Now, Bogaerts, who still keeps tabs on his old team, watches clips of Rafaela being a human highlight reel at his old stomping grounds with pride.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Bridgeman doesn’t speak with arrogance but with a calm, aw-shucks confidence.—
Brody Miller,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2026
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Chances are, whether that’s empowerment or arrogance depends on your take on Gu’s national representation.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Though Auriemma is almost certainly harsher behind closed doors, the Huskies coach isn’t showing much concern about the apparent complacency on the court.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
19 Feb. 2026
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What roused them from complacency to defiance?—
Joshua Hammer,
The New York Review of Books,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
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My disappointment in Vigil came down to the waste of a perfect setup for exhibiting the worldly redemption of art—that is, its power to redeem us from insensitivity and self-satisfaction.—
Julius Taranto,
The Atlantic,
27 Jan. 2026
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There’s a fine line between righteousness and self-satisfaction, and the second season, which premieres on HBO Max on January 8, frequently stumbles into the latter territory.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smugness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smugness. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
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