self-satisfied
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of self-satisfied
First recorded in 1725–35
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.
Though scrupulously executed, they often look self-satisfied and rhetorical.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
Several of the figures rest a self-satisfied hand at the apex of their bump.
From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2025
His cameos as Blazes Boylan, jitterbugging across the stage with the self-satisfied air of a country rake, were not just enlivening but renewing, capturing the character in a new idiom.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2025
And yes, it's hard not to look at these self-satisfied moral monsters without feeling despair.
From Salon ● May 18, 2024
Olanna was trying to cajole Baby into drinking some Ovaltine when Mrs. Muokelu arrived with a knotted raffia bag and a self-satisfied smile.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
