vainglorious

adjective

ˌvān-ˈglȯr-ē-əs How to pronounce vainglorious (audio)
Definition of vaingloriousnext
as in smug
having too high an opinion of oneself a vainglorious woman who always insists on being the center of attention

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of vainglorious Claire’s elective death therefore remains a problematic choice for some viewers, an act of vainglorious selfishness from a woman who was never terribly nice to begin with. — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 24 May 2026 Melodramatic and vainglorious, moody and capricious, a fidgety, neurotic hypochondriac, Stalin was a bundle of appalling contradictions. — Literary Hub, 25 Feb. 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 See All Example Sentences for vainglorious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vainglorious
  1. smug
  2. arrogant
  3. proud
  4. vain
  5. self-important
  6. conceited
  7. pompous
Adjective
  • Historian Sandgruber describes how Alois Hitler wrote his 1895 letters in a deeply smug, anti-clerical manner that overestimated his abilities.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 June 2026
  • Li at times plays Cola with a smug impetuousness that belies her naivety about this world to a satisfying degree.
    — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 17 June 2026
Definition of smug
Adjective
  • West Germany, arrogant attitude adjusted, pounded Chile, 4-1.
    — David j. Neal, Miami Herald, 24 June 2026
  • Lasso, in his initial introduction to audiences, wasn’t the warm, pun-loving, inspirational coach audiences would eventually embrace through Apple +, but a slightly arrogant buffoon parodying the average American sports fan.
    — Charles Moss, New York Times, 24 June 2026
Definition of arrogant
Adjective
  • So is the proud Iranian diaspora showing up en masse to mostly support Team Melli twice, in draws with New Zealand and Belgium.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2026
  • Andres Guardado, the former Deportivo La Coruna and Real Betis midfielder, was always proud to have 20 photos of Messi and him together on the pitch.
    — Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 10 July 2026
Definition of proud
Adjective
  • Usually, their appeals are in vain, with the Norwegian flagged offside just five times last season, fewer than any other Premier League forward who played at least 900 minutes.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 24 June 2026
  • After booking commercials and minor screen roles during the ’50s and ’60s, he was cast as the vain but rather dim TV news anchor Ted Baxter in 1970.
    — Maggie Fremont, Entertainment Weekly, 23 June 2026
Definition of vain
Adjective
  • Self-righteous and self-important, priggish and nagging.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 6 May 2026
  • 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
Definition of self-important
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, Johnson reprises his role as Moana's bantering reluctant partner, the shapeshifting trickster demigod Maui, alongside Jemaine Clement again voicing the conceited giant crustacean Tamatoa.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 9 July 2026
  • 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
Definition of conceited
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
  • 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
Definition of pompous

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Cite this Entry

“Vainglorious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vainglorious. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on vainglorious

Nglish: Translation of vainglorious for Spanish Speakers

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