Showing Results for "preening"

See Also:

• present participle of preen.

preening

American  

[pree-ning] / ˈpri nɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of trimming or dressing the feathers, fur, etc., with the beak or tongue.

   Examples of animals engaging in the same behavior at the same time include the gobbling of turkeys and the preening of birds.

2. the act of dressing oneself carefully or smartly, or making small adjustments to one’s clothing to appear trim and smart; primping.

   I remember my grandma using that perfume—the scent, and the preening in front of the mirror that went with it.

3. the act of priding oneself on an achievement, personal quality, etc., especially in an obnoxious way.

   All the posing and preening by these politicians is not going to help if the program ends up making food less affordable.

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adjective

1. (of birds or animals) trimming or dressing the feathers, fur, etc., with the beak or tongue.

   We got fabulous views of a preening pair of trumpeter swans on a large rock in the river.

2. dressing oneself carefully or smartly; primping.

   He is a preening ladies' man and social climber.

3. priding oneself on an achievement, personal quality, etc., especially in an obnoxious way.

   Once again you show yourself to be nothing but a preening pseudointellectual.

Etymology

Origin of preening

First recorded in 1590–1600; preen ¹ ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun senses; preen ¹ ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses

Example Sentences

When they film themselves preening on their phones, with the images projected onto the giant mirrors, Claire and Solange use filters that turn their sallow, pinched faces into plump-lipped, high-cheekboned ones that suggest Kim Kardashian.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026

He was preening for the press, warming to another of his vicious, incoherent jeremiads when his Canadian host suggested he join the others in a bit of work.

From Salon • Jun. 22, 2025

That last is a sly point that’s been an enduring comic take of Hitler’s artistic preening.

From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2025

The “Oppenheimer” crowd were hardly the hardest partiers at the Vanity Fair post- Oscars party on Sunday night, but they hardly needed to be, their hardware did all the preening for them.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 11, 2024

But long before the sound of their lowing and the sight of their preening, the building was leased to a Hungarian baker, modestly famous for his brioche and poppy-seed rolls.

From "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison