as in smug
having too high an opinion of oneself
a vainglorious woman who always insists on being the center of attention
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Recent Examples of vainglorious
Saudi Arabia has, after all, seen the axis of resistance’s vainglorious and quixotic movie before.
—
Bernard Haykel, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2024
Maximilian is often portrayed as a vainglorious buffoon, a quixotic old-school European aristocrat egged on by an ambitious wife.
—Richard Feinberg, Foreign Affairs, 22 Feb. 2022
The tragedy is that reality does not care one iota for our vainglorious beliefs.
—David Robert Grimes, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2023
The current policy of neglect about our laws is financially ruinous, and morally vainglorious.
—The Editors, National Review, 14 Aug. 2023
See All Example Sentences for vainglorious
Bernard Haykel, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2024
Maximilian is often portrayed as a vainglorious buffoon, a quixotic old-school European aristocrat egged on by an ambitious wife.
—Richard Feinberg, Foreign Affairs, 22 Feb. 2022
The tragedy is that reality does not care one iota for our vainglorious beliefs.
—David Robert Grimes, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2023
The current policy of neglect about our laws is financially ruinous, and morally vainglorious.
—The Editors, National Review, 14 Aug. 2023
See All Example Sentences for vainglorious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vainglorious
Adjective
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While the Duttons are just barely scraping by, the smug evil-doer is enjoying a warm bath in his mansion.—
Matt Cabral,
EW.com,
23 Feb. 2025
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Most of your editorials, John Brummett, Rex Nelson, and John Deering, are blatant Trump haters, and their smug, condescending echo-chamber mindsets are constantly denigrating, mocking, and disrespecting at least 64 percent of your potential readers.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
15 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The actor has one daughter with ex-wife Melanie Griffith and has been dating his girlfriend Nicole Kimpel since 2014. 05 of 09 John Lithgow as Lord Farquaad The actor behind the arrogant Lord Farquaad boasts an impressive career that began decades before Shrek came out in 2001.—
Zoey Lyttle,
People.com,
1 Mar. 2025
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Many members of its board appeared arrogant in the face of questions from the prosecutor or one of the lawyers.—
Laia Cervelló Herrero,
The Athletic,
23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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In part because of Dell Curry on the mic breaking down the action, jockeying between proud dad and TV analyst from his perch alongside play-by-play man Eric Collins up in Section 105.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
4 Mar. 2025
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So for him, super proud of him and for him first and foremost.—
Chris Biderman,
Sacramento Bee,
4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The enlightenment championed by the May 4 and June 4 movements may have never arrived, Wang argues, but nor was the quest in vain.—
Philip Tinari,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2025
-
Critics of Lightfoot’s change tried in vain to roll it back that year.—
Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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There’s no egotistical rock star bullsh**t going on here.—
Quentin Thane Singer,
Forbes,
19 Feb. 2025
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This was my chance to not be an actor, not have that stink of being an actor, that egotistical, show-off, controlling, making choices, being clever part of being an actor.—
Chris Vognar,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The Green Mile, with its three-hours-plus run time, might as well be exhibit A for Hollywood’s myriad overlong, self-important Oscar-bait dramas.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
21 Feb. 2025
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Unsurprisingly, the small army of senior executives with make-work jobs and self-important titles, who add little to nothing to build Hearst’s brands, apparently made it through today relatively unscathed.—
Caitlin Huston,
The Hollywood Reporter,
21 Nov. 2024
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
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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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Still, this adaptation of an O. Henry story tilts all its sympathies toward the outlaw hero the Cisco Kid (Warner Baxter, in a Best Actor–winning role) and away from the pompous white soldier charged with tracking him down.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
3 Mar. 2025
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And every scene and song featuring the hilarious Eric Anderson as the pompous and preening Union Gen. George B. McClellan is a comic gem.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vainglorious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vainglorious. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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