self-congratulation

American  

[self-kuhn-grach-uh-ley-shuhn, -graj-, -kuhng-, self-] / ˈsɛlf kənˌgrætʃ əˈleɪ ʃən, -ˌgrædʒ-, -kəŋ-, ˌsɛlf- /

noun

1. the expression or feeling of uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's own accomplishment, good fortune, etc.; complacency.

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self-congratulation British  

noun

1. the state or an instance of congratulating or being pleased with oneself

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Other Word Forms

• self-congratulating
  adjective
• self-congratulatory
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of self-congratulation

First recorded in 1705–15

Example Sentences

You have avoided great depths of despair and panic, and even greater heights of self-congratulation and ecstasy.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 19, 2026

The self-congratulation went down badly with some of his audience, according to the people close to Lloyd’s.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 28, 2025

Their final installment was all cheery good humor and self-congratulation.

From Slate • May 9, 2025

That view prefers to fast-forward to triumphalism and self-congratulation rather than acknowledge the truth behind it: We have been here all along.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2024

We wished to defend; we demanded confrontation; we felt all the transports of issueless rage, thinking of the rebels and their cries of self-congratulation.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson