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
-
Other highlights include the nine-foot-plus height for the tray ceiling, a walk-in closet with a skylight, and a primary bath that includes a soaking tub, separate large shower, dual sink vanity, and a private room for the commode.—
James Alexander,
Hartford Courant,
20 Apr. 2025 -
Why Digital Products Are Changing the Game Entrepreneurial creators are shifting the narrative away from vanity metrics and toward meaningful income.—
Kristen Bousquet,
Forbes.com,
20 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Just like on Succession, the fragile egos, myopic intelligence, and delusional self-righteousness of these uber-wealthy nuts go haywire pretty quickly.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
22 Apr. 2025
-
The leaders who earn trust today are those who anchor their work not in ego or optics, but in meaning—and who cultivate cultures that transform purpose into aligned, high-velocity execution.—
Brent Gleeson,
Forbes.com,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Young takes particular pride in VJMU’s identity as a Black- and Latino-owned car club, competing as a team in a sport that’s traditionally been dominated by affluent, white participants.—
Pamela Chelin,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2025
-
Given the strong gastronomy heritage of Spain and pride in local ingredients, almost every restaurant offers local wines, as well as bars and other retail locations.—
Liz Thach,
Forbes.com,
29 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Solskjaer felt that overconfidence bordering on arrogance might be PSG’s Achilles’ heel.—
Andy Mitten,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2025
-
Titan: Plunges into the chilling 2023 submersible tragedy, peeling back the layers of ambition, arrogance, and a lack of oversight that led to catastrophe.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
16 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
There’s no complacency there in terms of what her improvement and potential can be.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Apr. 2025
-
Perhaps most importantly, market complacency could be shattered overnight, quite literally.—
Joel Shulman,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
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
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 2 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share