proud
Americanadjective
-
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:
Regardless, I'm sure they'll put their friendship to one side and feel extremely proud that it's an all-Czech final.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
So is the proud Iranian diaspora showing up en masse to mostly support Team Melli twice, in draws with New Zealand and Belgium.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026
"I would like all Poles to assume responsibility for what we are proud of... but also that we be capable... of assuming responsibility for what does not do us honour," he added.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
They all learned English on their own and spoke it fluently, not because they were required but because they were proud to do so.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Every time I had set a trap I had been proud of the way I had done it, but on that day I was especially proud.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
He may soon be prouder still: At Sardy’s studio, Ness says he’s been working on a song he plans to release in the run-up to this fall’s midterm elections.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026
I was proud of him for pivoting to pizza, prouder still for how, as we were heading home, he told me that he felt “peaceful, happy, confident, and love.”
From Slate ● May 10, 2026
It could very well be your legacy — a career-defining performance, and you couldn’t be prouder.
From Salon ● Jan. 11, 2026
"The boys were outstanding. I couldn't be any prouder," Rooney, brother of former England and Manchester United striker Wayne, added.
From BBC ● Jan. 10, 2026
I don’t know who was prouder, us or Mr. Ward.
From "Bronx Masquerade" by Nikki Grimes
Soccer’s proudest traditions: going out in the round of 16.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
“But I think the thing that he was proudest of was that he could make a living as an actor.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
Walking up this street two years ago was the proudest moment of my life.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
Back home in ’45, he told the townspeople who had gathered to greet him: “The proudest thing I can claim is that I am from Abilene.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
Tyrion pondered all he knew of Volantis, oldest and proudest of the Nine Free Cities.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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.
