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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smugness
Noun
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Shrugging off physical vanity and even declining to correct strangers on their nonbinary pronouns, Gibson retreats from identity in the face of an all-consuming and transformative illness.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
25 Jan. 2025 -
Whether the room is used for overlapping daily routines or as a space to rest and relax, popular features include separate vanities, dual sinks, and showers with multiple showerheads and plenty of space for two people.—
Kristina McGuirk,
Better Homes & Gardens,
21 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Meghan McCain slams Meghan Markle's new 'out of touch' TV show: 'Do something to help people instead of your ego' Production delays in an industry still recovering from the 2023 SAG-WGA strikes are only the tip of the iceberg.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
13 Jan. 2025
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Over the past fifty years, the job of Lorne Michaels, the show’s creator, has been to make the stars look good, and to corral the egos and talents on his staff in order to get the program on the air, live.—
Susan Morrison,
The New Yorker,
13 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Individuals can take pride in smaller achievements, knowing that their contribution is bringing us closer to the end goal.—
Farzana Abdulhusein,
Forbes,
22 Jan. 2025
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But the idea that Putin’s wartime leadership means economic prosperity and national pride, and that peace would bring decline and humiliation, will be difficult to shake from the public consciousness.—
Alexandra Prokopenko,
Foreign Affairs,
21 Jan. 2025
Noun
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All of which meant that when economists gathered in San Francisco this month for the annual meeting of the American Economic Association, there was a sense that their famous confidence — critics would say arrogance — had been, if not shattered, certainly dealt a body blow.—
Ben Casselman,
New York Times,
10 Jan. 2025
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Relevant reality skills: Rob, while deadly charming, has always played Survivor by putting his confidence (some would say cockiness) and expertise (some would say arrogance) on full display.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
6 Jan. 2025
Noun
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That results in the appearance of company complacency.—
Anne Lackey,
Forbes,
22 Jan. 2025
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Despite this approach, Orr says many companies suffer from a culture of complacency at the top.—
Chris Gallagher,
USA TODAY,
16 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Corporate leaders will be called upon to overcome self-satisfaction with progress made in the advancement of gender parity for women, especially those in senior and middle management.—
Michael Peregrine,
Forbes,
30 Dec. 2024
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Megalopolis posits a world of clueless liberal self-satisfaction, missing every point of contemporary alertness to ongoing lawfare and sedition.—
Armond White,
National Review,
4 Oct. 2024
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Thesaurus Entries Near smugness
Cite this Entry
“Smugness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smugness. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
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