pride

¹ American  

[prahyd] / praɪd /

noun

1. a high or inordinate opinion of one's own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc.

   Antonyms:

   humility

2. the state or feeling of being proud.

3. a becoming or dignified sense of what is due to oneself or one's position or character; self-respect; self-esteem.

4. pleasure or satisfaction taken in something done by or belonging to oneself or believed to reflect credit upon oneself.

   civic pride.

5. celebration of a specific minority group and affirmation of equal rights for members of that community: Puerto Rican pride.

   Black pride;

   Puerto Rican pride.

6. something that causes a person or persons to be proud.

   His art collection was the pride of the family.

   Synonyms:

   boast

7. the best of a group, class, society, etc..

   This bull is the pride of the herd.

8. the most flourishing state or period.

   in the pride of adulthood.

9. mettle in a horse.

10. Literary. splendor, magnificence, or pomp.

11. a group of lions.

12. sexual desire, especially in a female animal.

13. ornament or adornment.

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verb (used with object)

prided, priding

1. to indulge or plume (oneself ) in a feeling of pride (usually followed by on orupon ).

   She prides herself on her tennis.

idioms

1. pride and joy, someone or something cherished, valued, or enjoyed above all others.

   Their new grandchild is their pride and joy.

Pride ² American  

[prahyd] / praɪd /

noun

1. recognition of LGBTQ identity, affirmation of equal rights, and celebration of visibility, dignity, and diversity in the LGBTQ community (formerly referred to asGay Pride ).

   The primary mission of our new student organization is Pride.

2. events or organizations that celebrate the LGBTQ community and its members (often used attributively): LGBT people of color are celebrating Black and Latinx Pride this June.

   Pride was extra special the first year I was out.

   LGBT people of color are celebrating Black and Latinx Pride this June.

   Have you ever been to the Pride parade in NYC?

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Pride ³ American  

[prahyd] / praɪd /

noun

1. Thomas, died 1658, English soldier and regicide.

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pride ¹ British  

/ praɪd /

noun

1. a feeling of honour and self-respect; a sense of personal worth

2. excessive self-esteem; conceit

3. a source of pride

4. satisfaction or pleasure taken in one's own or another's success, achievements, etc (esp in the phrase take ( a ) pride in )

5. the better or most superior part of something; flower

6. the most flourishing time

7. a group (of lions)

8. the mettle of a horse; courage; spirit

9. archaic sexual desire, esp in a female animal

10. archaic display, pomp, or splendour

11. the most important position

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verb

1. (tr; foll by on or upon) to take pride in (oneself) for

2. (intr) to glory or revel (in)

Pride ² British  

/ praɪd /

noun

1. Thomas. died 1658, English soldier on the Parliamentary side during the Civil War. He expelled members of the Long Parliament hostile to the army ( Pride's Purge, 1648) and signed Charles I's death warrant

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pride More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing pride

• burst with (pride)
• swallow one's pride

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Sensitive Note

The precursors to Pride as we know it today were the Gay Liberation Movement marches of the 1970s in New York City. The first of these took place in June of 1970 with demonstrators marching up Avenue of the Americas chanting, “Say it loud, gay is proud!” By 1973 the annual march in June was the final event of a celebration becoming known as Gay Pride Week. Over the next 30 years, Pride events grew and flourished in many cities, and the term Gay Pride was often understood to be inclusive of the entire LGBTQ community. However, in the 2000s, activists began to question whether using Gay Pride as an umbrella term constituted erasure of lesbians, bisexuals, transgender people, or other identities in the LGBTQ community. Increasingly, Gay Pride was replaced with LGBT Pride or LGBTQ Pride . And, by 2020, the celebrations and the movement as a whole were often referred to as simply Pride .

Usage

What is Pride Month? Pride Month is a month-long observance in celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people—and the history, culture, and contributions of these people and their communities. It is not limited to people with these sexualities or gender identities. Pride Month also celebrates and is celebrated by those with a range of other identities considered outside of the cishet mainstream. Pride Month is commonly called Pride for short, as in I can’t wait for Pride!Different abbreviations often precede the name of the month, including LGBT, LGBTQ, and LGBTQ+, among others that are intended to be as inclusive as possible. It is commonly celebrated with parades and other large, celebratory gatherings devoted to individual displays of pride and expression. Pride Month commemorates the 1969 event known as the Stonewall Riots or the Stonewall Uprising, which is often considered the start of the movement for gay, queer, and transgender rights.

Related Words

Pride, conceit, self-esteem, egotism, vanity, vainglory imply an unduly favorable idea of one's own appearance, advantages, achievements, etc., and often apply to offensive characteristics. Pride is a lofty and often arrogant assumption of superiority in some respect: Pride must have a fall. Conceit implies an exaggerated estimate of one's own abilities or attainments, together with pride: blinded by conceit. Self-esteem may imply an estimate of oneself that is higher than that held by others: a ridiculous self-esteem. Egotism implies an excessive preoccupation with oneself or with one's own concerns, usually but not always accompanied by pride or conceit: His egotism blinded him to others' difficulties. Vanity implies self-admiration and an excessive desire to be admired by others: His vanity was easily flattered. Vainglory, somewhat literary, implies an inordinate and therefore empty or unjustified pride: puffed up by vainglory.

Other Word Forms

• prideful adjective
• pridefully adverb
• prideless adjective
• pridelessly adverb

Etymology

Origin of pride¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English noun prid, pride, pritte, from Old English prȳde, prȳte (cognate with Old Norse prȳthi “bravery, pomp”), derivative of prūd proud

Origin of Pride²

First recorded in 1975–80; pride ( def. ) (in the sense “celebration of a specific minority group and affirmation of equal rights for members of that community”)

Explanation

The noun pride describes a feeling of happiness that comes from achieving something. When you do a good job or finish a difficult task, you feel pride. Pride can also have a negative meaning and refer to exceedingly high self-regard. If you know someone with the negative kind of pride, you might notice that his pride makes it hard for people to like him. Pride can also refer to the standards you have for yourself — your dignity. For example, you might have too much pride to ask for help when you need it. Pride also acts as a verb meaning "be proud of." You might pride yourself on being punctual, or pride yourself on always having a daring, trendsetting haircut.

Example Sentences

Telemundo and its news anchor Julio Vaquiero have become bicultural stars amid a busy news cycle and a surge in pride for the Spanish language.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

It is a chastening experience for Vitol, whose partners pride themselves on having dodged many of the pitfalls that hurt rivals.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

“It has become a source of cultural pride ... and it seems to be impacting the ways in which English-speaking Latinos also think about their identity.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026

I had swallowed my pride and agreed to pay him nearly $1,000 to cart away furniture and other large items.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

At thirteen he was a musical prodigy and a rascal and the pride of my life.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Related Words

• delight
• dignity
• ego
• happiness
• honor
• joy
• pleasure
• satisfaction
• self-confidence
• self-respect