as in smug
having too high an opinion of oneself
a vainglorious woman who always insists on being the center of attention
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of vainglorious
Melodramatic and vainglorious, moody and capricious, a fidgety, neurotic hypochondriac, Stalin was a bundle of appalling contradictions.
—
Literary Hub, 25 Feb. 2026
The vainglorious demands of one man who can’t read a map?
Concerned leaders in both parties should explain to the citizens of the United States how much peril Trump is courting.
—Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 14 Jan. 2026
All but the most vainglorious architects imagine that their buildings will change in some small way after completion.
—Anthony Paletta, Curbed, 2 Sep. 2025
The real real thing tended to be rather different: clumsy, ad hoc, vainglorious—and secret.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for vainglorious
Literary Hub, 25 Feb. 2026
The vainglorious demands of one man who can’t read a map?
Concerned leaders in both parties should explain to the citizens of the United States how much peril Trump is courting.
—Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 14 Jan. 2026
All but the most vainglorious architects imagine that their buildings will change in some small way after completion.
—Anthony Paletta, Curbed, 2 Sep. 2025
The real real thing tended to be rather different: clumsy, ad hoc, vainglorious—and secret.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for vainglorious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vainglorious
Adjective
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Most smug articles and books that claim to provide quick fixes come off as tone-deaf or even counterproductive.—
Anna Holmes,
The Atlantic,
27 May 2026
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But the series’ central character, played by Rachel Weisz, has enough nervous, itchy, manic energy to make the show’s narrative structure feel purposely unstable rather than safely smug.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
4 May 2026
Adjective
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The tension between the two boils over into a confrontation which only Eisenhower can adjudicate, a task complicated by his own arrogant British subordinate, a wiry and dislikable General Bernard Montgomery - played with a villainous verve bordering on the pantomime by Damian Lewis.—
Daniel Jonah Wolpert,
NPR,
29 May 2026
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Public policy decisions always need to strive for middle ground, and those leadership decisions often referred to as arrogant can just as easily be called principled leadership.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
23 May 2026
Adjective
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His eyes were on her, inviting her to be proud of his verticality.—
Jonathan Franzen,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
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Popovich will undoubtedly be proud, thrilled and probably not too surprised.—
Jared Weiss,
New York Times,
31 May 2026
Adjective
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Three Knights pitchers tried in vain as the Bruins diced up the diamond even though UCF walked UCLA and NCAA home-run leader Megan Grant three times.—
Liana Handler,
Los Angeles Times,
23 May 2026
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The fact that the highlight of Henri’s wartime experience seems to be the moment Petain arrives in Limoges for a parade, only to shun him during a meet-and-greet afterwards, reveals to what extent all his efforts were in vain.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
20 May 2026
Adjective
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Self-righteous and self-important, priggish and nagging.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
6 May 2026
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Only this time the interns are boring Gen Z stereotypes (obsessed with TikTok, too sensitive, too emotional, too self-important).—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
25 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Avoid Burying Praise in Negatives To avoid making children too conceited, parents might bury praise in the midst of negatives.—
Wayne Parker,
Parents,
8 Mar. 2026
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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
Adjective
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Among them a City boy wearing three Fit-Bit-type devices, two beautiful Middle Eastern sisters, an outrageously pompous elderly American (sorry; eavesdropping), and several Imelda Marcos lookalikes, tottering out of the treatment rooms with, somehow, their elaborate hairstyles still intact.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
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The usually pompous Victory Day Parade in Moscow on May 9th had to be pared down for fear of Ukrainian drones.—
Natasha Lindstaedt,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Vainglorious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vainglorious. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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