smug
adjective
contentedly confident of one's ability, superiority, or correctness; complacent.
smugness
-
a word derived from
smug.
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.
The smugness, arrogance and hubris in this city is so thick you could cut it with a knife.
From MarketWatch ● May 15, 2026
It also explains his slight smugness when informing the media that, after stating they were no good at all, their current league performances suggest the critics were wrong.
From BBC ● Jan. 29, 2025
To judge by his body of work, he’s not particularly smart, or funny, or insightful; he evinces the milky smugness of the bully’s dumb henchman in some lame 1980s slobs-vs.-snobs comedy.
From Slate ● Jun. 30, 2023
Among the upstart Skrulls, Ben-Adir conveys the cockiness of a young firebrand, peppered with the smugness of a classic thriller villain.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2023
I must be on the Eleanor, then, I thought, and even as I felt the familiar smugness of knowing the details of this historical event inside and out, I felt a tug of fear.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
