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
-
Washington State’s beauty is almost arrogant in its expansiveness.—
C Pam Zhang,
Travel + Leisure,
11 June 2026
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The question, then, is why so many people would still say that England fans have this arrogant expectation about the quality of their own team?—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
Adjective
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Citadel is proud not to have a touchy-feely atmosphere.—
Gary Sernovitz,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
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South America has a proud soccer tradition, and is the only continent other than Europe to produce World Cup champions.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 June 2026
Adjective
-
Woody Woody can be bossy and controlling, jealous and vain.—
Glenn Whipp,
Los Angeles Times,
17 June 2026
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Third, there are things that can be done today to ensure that the tank man’s bravery is not in vain.—
Olivia Enos,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2026
Adjective
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Self-righteous and self-important, priggish and nagging.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
6 May 2026
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Looking elegant as ever, Huppert appears with script in hand, half-reading, half-reciting a long, self-important monologue, written by Rozek.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
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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Far from being arty or pompous, Tull laced its sound with a wicked sense of humor and occasional social commentary.—
Ernesto Lechner,
SPIN,
25 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Vainglorious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vainglorious. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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