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Synonyms

self-satisfied

American  
[self-sat-is-fahyd, self-] / ˈsɛlfˈsæt ɪsˌfaɪd, ˌsɛlf- /

adjective

  1. feeling or showing satisfaction with oneself.

    Synonyms:
    puffed-up, vain, smug, complacent
self-satisfied British  

adjective

  1. having or showing a complacent satisfaction with oneself, one's own actions, behaviour, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • self-satisfaction noun

Etymology

Origin of self-satisfied

First recorded in 1725–35

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

And Calder Gardens, for all the undoubted talent and imagination it displays, sadly turns its back on its Parkway context with a self-satisfied aloofness.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 24, 2025

Several of the figures rest a self-satisfied hand at the apex of their bump.

From Slate • Jul. 21, 2025

Look at that self-satisfied smile on his face.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2025

My mind travels back to those self-satisfied film obsessives marveling at male genius, and how they would have praised both Tarantino for his commitment to artistic realism and Thurman for gamely playing along.

From Salon • Oct. 29, 2023

I mimed the reporter’s self-satisfied tone and fanned myself with an imaginary notebook.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.