Meaning & use
Preening
Last updated
To groom or admire oneself in a way that shows self-satisfaction, or, of a bird, to clean and arrange its feathers with its beak.
See it in a sentence
The cat sat preening in a patch of sunlight.
He couldn't stop preening in front of the mirror after his haircut.
A note on using this word
Originally described birds smoothing their feathers with their beaks; the figurative sense of vain self-admiration developed later.
Words with a similar meaning
primpinggroomingself-admiring
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Another way to use it
2. verb
To smooth and arrange feathers with the beak, as a bird does.
The swan glided by, preening its white feathers.
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