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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Recent Examples of smugness
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smugness
Noun
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Posing on top of an antique vanity and inside a wooden cabinet, Bieber cycled through a parade of sheer lace, see-through mesh, and strappy designs in shades of red, black, pink, and cream.—
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Store liquids—such as lotion, makeup, perfumes, and skincare—on a tray to protect your vanity table or bathroom cabinet.—
Noun
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Great art is impossible without some measure of ego.—
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But a talent for massaging egos is the most desirable strength.—
Noun
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Once home to countless cultural celebrations, the park embodies Widman’s legacy of arts, equity and community pride.—
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To appear earnest, eager, or uncool in exchange for a chance at something real is to give someone power over your heart, pride, and time.—
Noun
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Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach take turns transforming into floating marketplaces — docks converted to catwalks, hulls polished to reflective arrogance, sales reps who can quote fuel burn like yacht owners care about costs.—
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College football is awash in problems, including the Big Ten’s unrivaled arrogance, and its never-ending list of demands that would make Notre Dame blush.—
Noun
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Volatility pricing Another clear sign of market complacency is volatility — or rather, the lack thereof.—
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Education is the natural enemy of complacency and autocracy.—
Noun
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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.—
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Enmired in the self-satisfactions and unnamed timidities of childhood, Galinda finds in herself neither canniness nor the need to cultivate it.—
Cite this Entry
“Smugness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smugness. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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