Synonyms of smugness

smugness

noun

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

• vanity
• ego
• pridefulness
• pride
• arrogance
• complacency
• self-satisfaction
• pomposity
• egotism
• superiority
• pompousness
• conceitedness
• vainglory
• complacence
• self-importance
• confidence
• self-conceit
• conceit
• vainness
• self-congratulation
• self-love
• amour propre
• self-admiration
• assurance
• self-opinion
• swelled head
• bighead
• vaingloriousness
• self-glory
• self-esteem
• snobbishness
• self-righteousness
• self-assurance
• superciliousness
• haughtiness
• self-confidence
• hubris
• imperiousness
• self-assumption
• swellheadedness
• overconfidence
• selfishness
• presumption
• disdainfulness
• lordliness
• egoism
• self-assertion
• pretension
• pretentiousness
• self-pride
• pretense
• self-respect
• self-centeredness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• humility
• modesty
• diffidence
• humbleness
• altruism
• timidity
• self-doubt
• unselfishness
• shyness
• bashfulness
• self-loathing
• passivity
• self-disgust
• demureness
• self-hate
• passiveness
• timidness

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of smugness

To use satire to confirm does not bring with it dramatic excitement and risks a certain smugness of point of view. — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2026

The candidate, whose relishing of combative interviews and debates verges occasionally on smugness, was slated to potentially appear on 60 Minutes before the November election, people familiar with the planning said. — semafor.com, 19 Oct. 2026

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