INDEX:
1. proud
2. too proud
3. someone who thinks they are better than other people
4. to think you are better than other people
5. the feeling you have when you are proud of something
6. an unreasonable feeling of pride
7. a feeling of respect for yourself
RELATED WORDS
to talk too proudly about yourself, your achievements etc : ↑ BOAST
not wanting to talk proudly about your achievements, abilities etc : ↑ MODEST
see also
↑ SHOW OFF
↑ CONFIDENT/NOT CONFIDENT
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1. proud
▷ proud /praʊd/ [adjective]
someone who is proud of their achievements, their school, their family etc is very pleased with them and feels that they are very good or special :
▪ I felt so proud when my son went up to collect his medal.
▪ the proud parents with their new baby
proud of
▪ Jane’s very proud of her new car.
▪ My students have worked hard, and I’m proud of them.
proud to be/do something
▪ Morris was proud to be part of such a brilliant team.
▪ I’m proud to say that all my children had a good education.
proud that
▪ He’s very proud that his work has finally been published.
proudly [adverb]
▪ She turned to the crowd, proudly holding up the silver cup.
▷ take pride in /teɪk ˈpraɪd ɪn/ [verb phrase]
to feel proud of your work, your appearance etc, and always try to keep it at a high standard :
▪ I’ve always taken pride in my appearance.
▪ The people of the Basque country take great pride in their local cuisine.
take pride in doing something
▪ Teachers should take pride in improving the display work in their classrooms.
▷ pride yourself on /ˈpraɪd jɔːʳself ɒn/ [verb phrase]
to be especially proud of something that you do well or of a particular quality that you have :
▪ Archer prided himself on his knowledge of Italian art.
pride yourself on doing something
▪ She prides herself on getting things done quickly.
▪ Our staff pride themselves on offering guests a warm welcome.
▷ somebody’s pride and joy / somebodyˈs ˌpraɪd ən ˈdʒɔɪ/ [noun phrase]
if something that you own, something that you have made etc is your pride and joy, you are especially proud of it and it is very important to you :
▪ Todd’s magnificent Rolls Royce had been his pride and joy for many years.
▪ The garden was my father’s pride and joy, the real expression of his creativity.
▪ Christina was an only child, her parents’ pride and joy.
▷ the pride of something /ðə ˈpraɪd ɒv something/ [noun phrase]
the one thing or person in a particular group or place that people are most proud of :
▪ Bolton’s famous football team was the pride of the town.
▪ The Mary Rose, which was the pride of Henry VIII’s fleet, sank on her maiden voyage.
2. too proud
▷ conceited/big-headed /kənˈsiːtɪd, kənˈsiːtəd, ˌbɪg ˈhedə̇d◂/ [adjective]
someone who is conceited or big-headed is too proud of their own achievements or abilities, in a way that annoys other people :
▪ You’re the most conceited, selfish person I’ve ever met!
▪ I know this sounds big-headed, but I’ve always been good at French.
▷ arrogant /ˈærəgənt/ [adjective]
someone who is arrogant behaves as if their opinions are more important than other people’s, and thinks that they are always right :
▪ You are a rude and arrogant young man.
▪ his arrogant disregard for other people’s opinions
arrogantly [adverb]
▪ They arrogantly assumed that their form of democracy was better than anyone else’s.
▷ vain /veɪn/ [adjective]
someone who is vain thinks they are very good-looking, special, or intelligent :
▪ She’s a vain girl who is always thinking about her figure.
▪ I am vain enough to want to look good, but not to style my hair and paint my toenails.
▷ smug /smʌg/ [adjective]
quietly pleased with yourself in an unpleasant and annoying way, because you think you are in a better position than other people :
▪ Lawson comes over as smug and arrogant, but in fact he’s quite a decent man.
▪ If you knew, which I’m sure you did judging from your smug expression, why didn’t you tell me?
smug about
▪ I felt very smug about not wasting paper.
smugly [adverb]
▪ ‘I’m getting a motorcycle soon,’ he announced smugly. ‘My dad’s buying me one for my eighteenth birthday.’
▷ self-satisfied /self ˈsætə̇sfaɪd/ [adjective]
someone who is self-satisfied thinks that they are very clever, very successful etc, often without good reason, and shows this in an annoying way :
▪ Doyle’s self-satisfied smile irritated Haworth.
▪ He was in his early 40s and had the self-satisfied air of someone who has achieved fame and success.
▪ What makes a second-rate actress like Jean so self-satisfied, so over-confident?
▷ be full of yourself /biː ˈfʊl əv jɔːʳˌself/ [verb phrase] spoken
to be always talking about your abilities and achievements and never show any interest in those of other people :
▪ She’s a good-looking woman, but too full of herself for my liking.
▪ He was too full of himself to care about anyone else.
▷ pleased with yourself /ˈpliːzd wɪð jɔːʳself/ [adjective phrase]
feeling unreasonably proud of yourself, especially because you think you have done something clever :
▪ I had made a big profit on the deal and was feeling inordinately pleased with myself.
▪ After deceiving us all like that, she went away, no doubt very pleased with herself.
▷ think you’re it also fancy yourself British /ˌθɪŋk jɔːr ˈɪt, ˈfænsi jɔːʳself/ [verb phrase] spoken informal
use this when you think someone is too proud of their abilities or appearance :
▪ You think you’re it, don’t you? Well you’re not!
▪ Like most young professional footballers, he really fancied himself.
▷ let something go to your head /let something ˌgəʊ tə jɔːʳ ˈhed/ [verb phrase]
to start behaving as if you are very important as a result of something, for example a success or being praised by someone :
▪ It’s not surprising that young rock bands let success go to their heads.
▪ I know you did well, but don’t let it go to your head -- the hardest part’s still to come.
▷ get too big for your boots British /too big for your britches American /get tuː ˌbɪg fəʳ jɔːʳ ˈbuːts, tuː ˌbɪg fəʳ jɔːʳ ˈbrɪtʃə̇z/ [verb phrase] informal
to start thinking you are more important than you really are, especially because you have been successful in something :
▪ Bonaparte wasn’t all that bad. He was just a soldier who got too big for his boots.
3. someone who thinks they are better than other people
▷ snob /snɒbǁsnɑːb/ [countable noun]
someone who thinks that they are better than people from a lower social class :
▪ Since going to university he’d become a snob, embarrassed by his family.
▪ I don’t want to sound like a snob, but I found the decor vulgar.
▷ snobbish /ˈsnɒbɪʃǁˈsnɑː-/ [adjective]
someone who is snobbish thinks that they are better than people from a lower class, so that they will not be friendly with them or do the things they do :
▪ Some people find her snobbish, but she’s really just shy.
▪ his snobbish attitude to soap operas on TV
snobbish about
▪ She’s very snobbish about people who live in the suburbs.
snobbery [uncountable noun]
▪ To say that working class people are all the same is sheer snobbery is being very snobbish .
▷ stuck-up /ˌstʌk ˈʌp◂/ [adjective] informal
someone who is stuck-up thinks that they are better than other people, and behaves in a proud, unfriendly way :
▪ The children who go to that school are a bit stuck-up.
▪ a pompous, stuck-up little man
▷ pompous /ˈpɒmpəsǁˈpɑːm-/ [adjective]
someone who is pompous tries to sound important, especially by using very long or formal words :
▪ She found him pompous and annoying.
▪ The headteacher gave a pompous speech about ‘the values of learning’.
▷ self-important /ˌself ɪmˈpɔːʳt ə nt◂/ [adjective]
thinking you are much more important than you really are :
▪ As a waiter, he had grown to despise self-important customers.
▪ He was one of those self-important little officials who made everyone call him ‘Sir’.
self-importance [uncountable noun]
▪ He strutted into the room, full of his own self-importance.
▷ haughty /ˈhɔːti/ [adjective]
someone who is haughty behaves in a proud and very unfriendly way, as if they think other people are completely unimportant :
▪ People thought of him as being haughty and difficult to talk to.
▪ Jessica turned away with a haughty look on her face.
haughtily [adverb]
▪ She refused his request, haughtily explaining that such things were beneath her.
▷ snotty /ˈsnɒtiǁˈsnɑː-/ [adjective] informal
rude and unfriendly because you think you are better than other people :
▪ The hotel receptionist was a bit snotty to me this morning.
▪ a bunch of snotty rich kids
4. to think you are better than other people
▷ look down on /lʊk ˈdaʊn ɒn/ [transitive phrasal verb]
if you look down on other people, you think you are better or more important then them :
▪ He looks down on anyone who hasn’t had a college education.
▷ be beneath /biː bɪˈniːθ/ [transitive verb]
if it is beneath you to do something or to talk to someone, you think you are much too important to do it :
▪ Do you think you could make the tea for once -- or is that beneath you!
be beneath to do something
▪ She was surprised to learn that he didn’t think it was beneath him to help around the house.
▷ think you’re too good for /ˌθɪŋk jɔːʳ tuː ˈgʊd fɔːʳ/ [verb phrase]
if you say that someone thinks they are too good for a particular kind of work or for a particular person, you mean they are too proud to do that kind of work or to spend time with that person :
▪ I suppose you think you’re too good for us now you’ve inherited a fortune.
▪ So you think you’re too good for training college?
5. the feeling you have when you are proud of something
▷ pride /praɪd/ [uncountable noun]
the feeling of being proud because of something special you have achieved, someone special you are connected with etc :
▪ Chinese students have a sense of national pride.
do something with pride
▪ He talked with great pride about his father’s work.
pride in
▪ Her pride in her daughter knew no bounds.
bursting with pride
feeling extremely proud
▪ Bursting with pride, she stood up to receive her prize.
6. an unreasonable feeling of pride
▷ arrogance /ˈærəgəns/ [uncountable noun]
an unreasonable pride in your own abilities or qualities, which makes you behave rudely, as if other people were of no importance or interest :
▪ ‘I ought to be in charge here,’ said Jack with simple arrogance.
▪ His arrogance and unwillingness to learn from others prevent him from being an effective member of the team.
▷ conceit /kənˈsiːt/ [uncountable noun]
too much pride in your own abilities, appearance, or qualities, especially following a success which has made you behave as if you are very important :
▪ After scoring the winning goal he almost danced along the road in his satisfaction and conceit.
▪ I got so sick of his conceit that I threw the damn trophy out.
▷ vanity /ˈvænɪti, ˈvænəti/ [uncountable noun]
great pride in yourself so that you are always thinking about yourself, especially about your appearance :
▪ His life is driven by vanity. He has to drive around in the most expensive car and wear the best designer clothes.
▪ Jo’s vanity wouldn’t let her walk past a mirror without looking in it.
7. a feeling of respect for yourself
▷ self-respect /ˌself rɪˈspekt/ [uncountable noun]
a feeling of respect and confidence in yourself and in your abilities :
▪ It is difficult to keep your self-respect when you have been unemployed for a long time
▪ Serious illness often results in a loss of confidence and self-respect.
▷ self-esteem /ˌself ɪˈstiːm/ [uncountable noun]
the feeling that you are someone who deserves to be liked, respected, and admired :
▪ The program is designed to help children from broken families build their self-esteem.
low/high self-esteem
a bad or good feeling about yourself
▪ When I started seeing my therapist, I was suffering from very low self-esteem.
▷ dignity /ˈdɪgnɪti, ˈdɪgnəti/ [uncountable noun]
the ability to behave in a calm way that shows that you respect yourself, even in difficult situations :
do something with dignity
▪ Very sick people should be allowed to die with dignity.
lose your dignity
▪ She lost her home and all her money, but she never lost her dignity.
▷ pride /praɪd/ [uncountable noun]
the feeling that you deserve to be respected by other people - use this especially when this feeling is so strong that someone finds it difficult to admit they need help or that they are wrong :
▪ He has too much pride to say he’s sorry.
▪ Her pride would not allow her to ask for help.
hurt somebody’s pride
▪ We don’t like failing - it hurts our pride.
▷ dignified /ˈdɪgnɪfaɪd, ˈdɪgnəfaɪd/ [adjective]
behaving in a calm way, even in a difficult situation, so that other people respect and admire you :
▪ She was a quiet, dignified old lady.
▪ Jo listened to their criticisms in dignified silence.