smug

[smuhg]

adjective

smugger, smuggest 

1. contentedly confident of one's ability, superiority, or correctness; complacent.

2. trim; spruce; smooth; sleek.

smug

/ smʌɡ /

adjective

1. excessively self-satisfied or complacent

2. archaic,  trim or neat

Other Word Forms

• smugness noun
• smugly adverb
• unsmug adjective
• unsmugness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of smug¹

First recorded in 1545–55; perhaps from Middle Dutch smuc “neat, pretty, nice”

Word History and Origins

Origin of smug¹

C16: of Germanic origin; compare Low German smuck neat

Example Sentences

Broad knew he was going to cop it, not least when the Brisbane Courier Mail refused to print his name and ran a headline calling him a 'smug Pommie cheat'.

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“The Front Runner” depicts Prefontaine as smug but sensitive, and it keeps a narrow focus on his immediate sports circle.

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Partridge is as likely, according to Coogan, "to mock the xenophobic little England mentality of the Daily Mail" as he is "the smug, self-righteousness of the Guardian, at its worst."

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Less smug but still rather inscrutable, he sips on tea and evades answering Arisu’s question directly, instead turning the tables.

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Those with great experience on a subject have little to no ability to do battle with the smug, the young and the inexperienced.

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Related Words

• complacent 
• egotistical www.thesaurus.com
• pompous 
• self-righteous 
• self-satisfied