as in smug
having too high an opinion of oneself
thought that the kids at his new school were snobbish and stuck-up
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Recent Examples of stuck-up
Maureen Lee Lenker Published, EW.com, 7 July 2025
Greer’s disdainful, stuck-up lines ooze out of Kidman’s mouth.
—Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2024
Men fear that stepping outside those norms could lead to teasing, looking unprofessional, or appearing too formal or stuck-up.
—Byeva Roytburg, Fortune, 17 June 2024
During his time at Bushwood Country Club, O’Keefe’s character becomes involved in a rivalry amongst a prominent, stuck-up member of the club – Judge Elihu Smails (played by Ted Knight) – and a boisterous, jokester guest named Al Czervik (played by legendary comedian Rodney Dangerfield).
—Ben Morse, CNN, 29 Mar. 2024
Adjective
The two click, and in episode 3 of the new season, Peggy visits Dr. Kirkland at his home in Newport, meeting his parents, who are extremely stuck-up and look down on Peggy's family's humbler origins.
—Maureen Lee Lenker Published, EW.com, 7 July 2025
Greer’s disdainful, stuck-up lines ooze out of Kidman’s mouth.
—Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2024
Men fear that stepping outside those norms could lead to teasing, looking unprofessional, or appearing too formal or stuck-up.
—Byeva Roytburg, Fortune, 17 June 2024
During his time at Bushwood Country Club, O’Keefe’s character becomes involved in a rivalry amongst a prominent, stuck-up member of the club – Judge Elihu Smails (played by Ted Knight) – and a boisterous, jokester guest named Al Czervik (played by legendary comedian Rodney Dangerfield).
—Ben Morse, CNN, 29 Mar. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stuck-up
Adjective
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Woods kept everyone guessing — a favorite hobby of his — with one word and a smug grin last week at Riviera when he was asked if playing in the Masters was off the table.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Feb. 2026
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Meanwhile, a young Denholm Elliott makes for a delightfully smug Edgar Linton, and the underrated Angela Thornton brings to Isabella Linton a welcome sensuality.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In Oakland, he’s charged with murder under the provocative act theory, with prosecutors alleging he and his cousin, Roosevelt Jones, robbed a man who fought back and killed Jones lawfully.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
7 Mar. 2026
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The Sacramento County District Attorney's Office said the jury also found true that Brasser robbed Starzynski.—
Richard Ramos,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Planning for more than 11 contests out of Dobbins, something only produced twice over his first six NFL seasons, isn’t just arrogant.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
10 Mar. 2026
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Capitalize on the overwhelming support for legislative transparency and Spilka, Mariano and Attorney General Andea Campbell’s arrogant refusal to implement it.—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Panthers gave up five grade-A chances in the opening 10 minutes of the game, and Bobrovsky held up.—
Jesse Granger,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
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Distributing that money was held up by a legal battle.—
Amanda Hari,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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After all, Payton only weeks ago acknowledged Denver could be proud of a 14-3 season and simultaneously take a sober view of it.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
10 Mar. 2026
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Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix and his wife, Izzy Smoke Nix, are the proud parents of a baby girl.—
Sarah Scott,
Parents,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Rock Canyon’s renowned student section, which showed out on force on Friday, ripped off three consecutive chants with the Jaguars’ win in the bag.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
6 Mar. 2026
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One filled with phone booths and newsstands and Gray’s Papaya on practically every grimy street corner — a New York where getting your bicycle ripped off was almost as much a rite of passage as stomping on your first cockroach.—
Benjamin Svetkey,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The Pitt definitely feels like the type of workplace where conceited doctors-in-training are pretty much guaranteed to quickly get knocked down a peg.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
8 Jan. 2026
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But Grande’s conceited blonde bubblehead gains in stature here as Glinda assumes statesmanlike responsibility to spread goodness in Oz, while experiencing crushing romantic disappointment that humbles her and deflates her vanity.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Ukraine has acquired deep knowlege of drone warfare since Russia invaded in 2022.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
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The Iran war briefly drove oil to $118 a barrel, the highest price since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stuck-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stuck-up. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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