proud
Americanadjective
-
prouder,
comparative
-
proudest
superlative
-
feeling pleasure or satisfaction over something regarded as highly honorable or creditable to oneself (often followed by of, an infinitive, or a clause).
- Synonyms:
- self-satisfied, contented
- Antonyms:
- dissatisfied
-
having, proceeding from, or showing a high opinion of one's own dignity, importance, or superiority.
- Synonyms:
- presumptuous, imperious, disdainful, self-important, overbearing
- Antonyms:
- humble
-
having or showing self-respect or self-esteem.
-
highly gratifying to the feelings or self-esteem.
It was a proud day for him when his son entered college.
-
highly honorable or creditable.
a proud achievement.
- Antonyms:
- dishonorable
-
stately, majestic, or magnificent.
proud cities.
- Antonyms:
- lowly, impoverished, mean
-
of lofty dignity or distinction.
a proud name; proud nobles.
-
Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S. pleased; happy.
I'm proud to meet you.
-
full of vigor and spirit.
a proud young stallion.
-
Obsolete. brave.
idioms
adjective
-
pleased or satisfied, as with oneself, one's possessions, achievements, etc, or with another person, his or her achievements, qualities, etc
-
feeling honoured or gratified by or as if by some distinction
-
having an inordinately high opinion of oneself; arrogant or haughty
-
characterized by or proceeding from a sense of pride
a proud moment
-
having a proper sense of self-respect
-
stately or distinguished
-
bold or fearless
-
(of a surface, edge, etc) projecting or protruding from the surrounding area
-
(of animals) restive or excited, esp sexually; on heat
adverb
Synonym Usage
Proud, arrogant, haughty imply a consciousness of, or a belief in, one's superiority in some respect. Proud implies sensitiveness, lofty self-respect, or jealous preservation of one's dignity, station, and the like. It may refer to an affectionate admiration of or a justifiable pride concerning someone else: proud of his son. Arrogant applies to insolent or overbearing behavior, arising from an exaggerated belief in one's importance: arrogant rudeness. Haughty implies lofty reserve and confident, often disdainful assumption of superiority over others: the haughty manner of the butler in the play.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of proud
First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English prūd, prūt “arrogant” (cognate with Old Norse prūthr “stately, fine”), apparently from Vulgar Latin; compare Old French prud, prod “gallant, virtuous,” Late Latin prōde “profitable, useful,” from prōde est, back formation of Latin prōdest “it is beneficial, useful,” from Latin prōdesse “to be useful, profit”
Explanation
When you are proud, you are feeling pride, or satisfaction with yourself. The word proud can also mean too much of this feeling––sometimes saying someone is proud is the same as saying they're arrogant. It's also possible to feel proud of someone else. If your best friend gets the lead in the school play, you may find yourself feeling as happy for him as if you'd got the lead yourself. When you graduate from college, your "proud parents" will want to be there to watch. The maxim "Pride comes before a fall" plays on the fact that when you are proud of what you have, you are also at risk: having something means you have something to lose.
Vocabulary lists containing proud
In the Mood? 100 Words to Describe Emotions
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Common Five-letter Words for Wordle, List 4
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"Death, be not proud" by John Donne
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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.
See Examples For:
I think it’s a really compelling film and I’m just proud to be a very, very small part of it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
“I’ve always been proud of him, but this is such an incredible thing that he did.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
And they added: "We are proud to make this long-term commitment in his name and in keeping with the values he held dear."
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
“If I were in California, I’d be proud of the attorney general. At the end of the day, he got the best he could,” Hay said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
To say she’s proud of me, that she believes I can do it.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
“I could not be prouder of the exceptional professionalism and expertise demonstrated by every member of this team during our operations.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
And Gregg told his son he couldn’t be happier about or prouder of how things have worked out.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
"I cannot be prouder and happier from what I saw out there, especially how we lived the last 72 hours," Arteta said.
From Barron's ● Feb. 22, 2026
Natalie couldn't be prouder of her daughter, who has recently been made "values ambassador" in her class, encouraging other children to show empathy and respect.
From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2025
Father’s words make me prouder than I’ve ever been.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Then there is her Imagination Library, which has reportedly distributed over 300 million books to children around the world since its launch in the late 1980s — an effort Dolly counted as her proudest achievement.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
It is a testament to Cyborg's character that - despite all the challenges and opponents she has overcome - her proudest moment is the fight she won against the glass ceiling.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
One of his proudest moments was defeating a Brazil team on its home soil.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Walking up this street two years ago was the proudest moment of my life.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
This, he told himself, was the proudest day of his life.
From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham
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.
