as in egotistical
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Recent Examples of self-aggrandizing
Arnett’s narration is conversational but authoritative, proud but not self-aggrandizing.
—
Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 12 May 2025
While Musk’s often self-aggrandizing moves can be polarizing, Trump’s promotion of him as his proxy balances it out.
—Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2025
Admittedly, to anyone not in Chalamet’s camp at this moment, that speech might have seemed self-aggrandizing, a kind of boy-king entitlement.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 25 Feb. 2025
Heavy handed, self-aggrandizing hype and a near certain success in doing what any other major American politician would have been afraid to do.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 9 Feb. 2025
When senators read from their self-aggrandizing scripts, the resemblance to play actors is incontrovertible.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 20 Jan. 2025
Corbet recalled shooting the scene where Van Buren leads a group of party guests outside to a hillside overlook that would become the location for his institute and delivers a long speech that is somehow both self-pitying and self-aggrandizing.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024
Classifying what Piece by Piece will be exactly, especially in the often self-aggrandizing realm of the musical biopic, is a challenge.
—Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2024
The rise of Huawei is painstakingly rendered in a small library of self-aggrandizing literature that the company publishes, including several volumes of quotes from its founder.
—Steven Levy, WIRED, 16 Nov. 2020
Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 12 May 2025
While Musk’s often self-aggrandizing moves can be polarizing, Trump’s promotion of him as his proxy balances it out.
—Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2025
Admittedly, to anyone not in Chalamet’s camp at this moment, that speech might have seemed self-aggrandizing, a kind of boy-king entitlement.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 25 Feb. 2025
Heavy handed, self-aggrandizing hype and a near certain success in doing what any other major American politician would have been afraid to do.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 9 Feb. 2025
When senators read from their self-aggrandizing scripts, the resemblance to play actors is incontrovertible.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 20 Jan. 2025
Corbet recalled shooting the scene where Van Buren leads a group of party guests outside to a hillside overlook that would become the location for his institute and delivers a long speech that is somehow both self-pitying and self-aggrandizing.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024
Classifying what Piece by Piece will be exactly, especially in the often self-aggrandizing realm of the musical biopic, is a challenge.
—Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2024
The rise of Huawei is painstakingly rendered in a small library of self-aggrandizing literature that the company publishes, including several volumes of quotes from its founder.
—Steven Levy, WIRED, 16 Nov. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-aggrandizing
Adjective
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Sid Justice, though competent in other matches, is given few opportunities to prove himself as a rising star against the notoriously egotistical Hogan.—
Daniel Dockery,
Vulture,
21 Apr. 2025
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And for any fan of the show — and Wilson’s over-the-top, egotistical Dwight — the lyrics might not be a total surprise.—
Victoria Edel,
People.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Richard was known for being outspoken, if not arrogant, consistently rubbing his Tagi tribe the wrong way and offending some of them with his blatant display of nudity on the island.—
Nick Caruso,
TVLine,
27 May 2025
-
Multiple people described him to me as unpopular and arrogant.—
Amanda Chicago Lewis,
Harpers Magazine,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Too many American leaders seem more focused on the vainglorious posturing that too often leads to armed conflict.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 May 2025
-
Hwang’s vainglorious campaign underscores his later experience producing his next play, Face Value, and facing the death of his father, Henry Yuan Hwang (HYH), a patriotic immigrant and founder of Far East National Bank.—
Armond White,
National Review,
21 May 2025
Adjective
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The adults in Moonrise Kingdom are either thoroughly unhappy, in the case of Suzy’s parents (played by Frances McDormand and Bill Murray), or rather delusional, like Sam’s self-important troop master (Edward Norton).—
Shannon Carlin,
Time,
30 May 2025
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Matt and his direct reports quickly reveal themselves to be spineless, self-important, thin-skinned, and out of touch.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
5 May 2025
Adjective
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Trump is self-centered, boastful and uncaring about the needs of others.—
Tom Zirpoli,
Baltimore Sun,
13 May 2025
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The second thing is that a lot of our discussion about happiness is overly self-centered.—
Renée Onque,
CNBC,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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This is the worst kind of football team: a conceited but objectively mediocre squad.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
The Mercury News,
17 Nov. 2024
-
Rory Kinnear steals some of the best lines as the conceited British prime minister, and Ato Essandoh, as Kate’s deputy chief, plays the ever-flustered man surrounded by extremely capable women with admirable humor, charm, and confidence.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
30 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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As Peggy Dodd, consigliere to her bumptious 1950s cult-leader husband, Adams tends to wear a soft smile and blouses buttoned to the neck — a picture-perfect model of mid-century femininity.—
Matthew Jacobs,
Vulture,
6 Dec. 2024
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It’s all spanked along by one of those golly-gee bumptious holiday musical scores.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
27 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Twenty-three years of a smug, smarmy host, and a bunch of sportswriters desperate for sound bites and attention.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2025
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There’s the divorced couple maintaining their relationship for their children; the happy and occasionally smug monogamist; the man who prefers not to commit; the woman who can’t decide.—
Alissa Wilkinson,
New York Times,
15 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-aggrandizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-aggrandizing. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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