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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of smugness
The demon was largely limited to one expression — smugness — and was inexplicably the only character who spoke Japanese.
—
Corbin Bolies,
Variety,
10 June 2026
One widespread subspecies endemic to the area is the haughty Cardinal, recognized by its bright-red plumage and smugness about winning a dozen National League Central crowns.
—
Robert Annis,
Midwest Living,
31 May 2026
At one point, Catherine and I landed on the topic of smugness as an obstacle to creativity.
—
Cressida Leyshon,
New Yorker,
24 May 2026
Excitement—and smugness—hangs in London’s air since the city has gained its own outpost of the sceney eatery.
—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
Their attitude, their smugness was palpable.
—
Kels Dayton,
Hartford Courant,
21 Mar. 2026
Just as in real life when a too-good singer gets the mic at karaoke, the scene has a certain smugness.
—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
The smugness is thicker than split pea.
—
Josh Brown,sean Russo,
CNBC,
4 Dec. 2025
Corbin Bolies,
Variety,
10 June 2026
One widespread subspecies endemic to the area is the haughty Cardinal, recognized by its bright-red plumage and smugness about winning a dozen National League Central crowns.
—
Robert Annis,
Midwest Living,
31 May 2026
At one point, Catherine and I landed on the topic of smugness as an obstacle to creativity.
—
Cressida Leyshon,
New Yorker,
24 May 2026
Excitement—and smugness—hangs in London’s air since the city has gained its own outpost of the sceney eatery.
—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
Their attitude, their smugness was palpable.
—
Kels Dayton,
Hartford Courant,
21 Mar. 2026
Just as in real life when a too-good singer gets the mic at karaoke, the scene has a certain smugness.
—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
The smugness is thicker than split pea.
—
Josh Brown,sean Russo,
CNBC,
4 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smugness
Noun
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The bathroom is nearby and contains a vanity sink, a walk-in shower, and an incinerating toilet – which literally turns waste into ash.
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The hotel’s wellness focus extends to the bathrooms, which boast walk-in showers, claw-foot soaking tubs, and double-sink marble vanities embellished with ornate gilt mirrors.
Noun
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Visitors would find artifacts such as the candlestand, where Washington chose humility over ego and began the peaceful transfer of power.
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The Aussie needed to have some amount of ego to achieve that confidence, something Wright didn’t have or realize.
Noun
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The history of Kaskaskia is full of stories of resilience and stubborn pride, but also of the inevitability of nature.
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Schlanger’s pride in his Jewishness forced Goldstein to reflect on her upbringing.
Noun
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Needless to say there was no second date, and, eventually though painfully, my own arrogance had some of its rough edges worn down.
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In Episode 3, Harris discussed the early arrogance of the founding fathers who made proposals for America's independence and questioned who was entitled to freedom.
Noun
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Four years later, there’s not a hint of complacency or dejection in France.
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Interestingly, extreme cold warnings do not elicit such complacency or skepticism.
Noun
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The situation gets even worse once Bonnie’s concerned parents try to connect their daughter with friends by buying her a Lilypad, a child-appropriate smart tablet in frog-like casing, voiced with slappably perky self-satisfaction by Greta Lee.
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After 50 minutes of self-satisfaction, the hero fades serenely into a sunset that Dudamel made miraculously mystical.
Cite this Entry
“Smugness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smugness. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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