self-applause

Definition of self-applausenext

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-applause
Noun
  • What emerges is a portrait of Stanton not as a paragon of feminism but as a deeply peculiar person—one whose combination of vision and hubris happened to change history.
    Moira Donegan, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026
  • My main issue is the hubris of it all — and the people who enabled it.
    Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • The historic spikes in oil prices reflect that early complacency is giving way to the harsh reality that the war isn’t going to be over in a matter of days.
    David Goldman, CNN Money, 9 Mar. 2026
  • Like your mother’s complacency, which was probably buried in your gene code somewhere.
    Addie Citchens, New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • The smugness is thicker than split pea.
    Josh Brown,Sean Russo, CNBC, 4 Dec. 2025
  • Where Spider masked his incompetence with bravado and abrasiveness, Claude put up a thin layer of smugness that collapsed when faced with even a tiny amount of resistance.
    Brian Grubb, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Making the vanity the centerpiece of the bathroom can transform the space entires, often with just a simple can of paint.
    Lauren Jones, The Spruce, 15 Mar. 2026
  • Included in this suite is a spa-like primary bath with a soaking tub, stand-up shower, and two vanities.
    James Alexander, Hartford Courant, 15 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • My disappointment in Vigil came down to the waste of a perfect setup for exhibiting the worldly redemption of art—that is, its power to redeem us from insensitivity and self-satisfaction.
    Julius Taranto, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2026
  • There’s a fine line between righteousness and self-satisfaction, and the second season, which premieres on HBO Max on January 8, frequently stumbles into the latter territory.
    Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 6 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • On Saturday, on the streets of Washington, Donald Trump will throw himself a costly and ostentatious military parade, a gaudy display of waste and vainglory staged solely to inflate the president’s dirigible-sized ego.
    Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2025
  • The conceit is saved from vainglory by the gravity Cage brings to the performance.
    Isaac Butler, The New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2023
Noun
  • McGuane also reminded me that Hemingway was, to put it politely, a complicated personality, a domineering figure prone to brawling, affairs, and cask-strength egoism.
    Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2025
  • This is different from egoism and self-centeredness.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Most of the film plays out in something close to real time, and the directors, loath to hurry scenes along, slow the action down with a technical virtuosity that sometimes tilts into self-admiration.
    Justin Chang, New Yorker, 4 Apr. 2025
  • At first, Oliver meekly and gratefully laps up, metaphorically, the warm milk of affection that the family bestows on him between their rounds of backbiting and oblivious self-admiration.
    Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 18 Nov. 2023
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Self-applause.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-applause. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.

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