smug /smʌɡ/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Origin: Probably from Low German smuck 'pretty' ]
showing too much satisfaction with your own cleverness or success – used to show disapproval SYN self-satisfied
smug about
What are you looking so smug about?
smug expression/look/face/smile etc
‘I knew I’d win,’ she said with a smug smile.
—smugly adverb
—smugness noun [uncountable]
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THESAURUS
▪ proud very pleased with what you, your family, or your country have achieved, or of something you own:
I felt so proud when my son graduated from college.
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Judith’s very proud of her new Ferrari.
▪ pleased with yourself feeling pleased because something good has happened, especially because you think you have been very clever, skilful etc:
He was smoking a big cigar and was obviously pleased with himself.
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I’d made a big profit and was feeling pretty pleased with myself.
▪ arrogant disapproving behaving in an unpleasant and annoying way, because you think you are better or know more than other people, and that your opinions are always right:
He was arrogant and regarded people who disagreed with him as fools.
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his arrogant attitude to women
▪ vain disapproving too proud of your appearance, in a way that annoys other people:
He’s so vain – he thinks all the girls fancy him.
▪ conceited/big-headed disapproving proud of yourself because you think you are very intelligent, skilful, beautiful etc, especially without good reason and in a way that annoys people:
Stewart’s the most arrogant conceited person I’ve ever known.
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She was offered a brilliant job and became incredibly big-headed overnight.
▪ pompous disapproving thinking that you are much more important than you really are, and using very long and formal words to try to sound important:
The clerk was a pompous little man with glasses.
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a pompous speech
▪ smug disapproving pleased with yourself in a quiet but annoying way because you think you are in a better position than other people:
Milly was looking very smug about coming top of the class.
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a smug expression
▪ self-satisfied disapproving pleased with what you have achieved and showing it clearly in an annoying way:
She glared angrily into his self-satisfied face.
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a self-satisfied grin