Meaning & use
smug
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Meaning
adjectivecomparable
Looking or sounding too pleased with yourself, as if you believe you are better, cleverer or luckier than other people.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a verb: a smug grin; he looked smug.
Patterns
- smug about something
- smug that something
- feel smug
He wore a smug smile when his team won.
She was smug about her exam results and told everyone.
Don't be so smug; you could easily make the same mistake.
Word forms
| comparative | smugger |
|---|---|
| superlative | smuggest |
Common combinations
- smug smile
- A smug smile spread across his face.
- look smug
- She couldn't help looking smug after the vote.
- smug satisfaction
- He ate his lunch with smug satisfaction.
- feel smug
- I felt smug for arriving early, until I saw the door was locked.
- smug about
- They were smug about their new house.
Synonyms and how they differ
- self-satisfied
- Self-satisfied is a more formal way of describing the same pleased attitude, with a similar critical tone.
- complacent
- Complacent suggests relaxing because you think everything is fine, while smug is about showing off your pleasure.
- conceited
- Conceited means having an inflated opinion of yourself in general, not just pleasure at one moment.
- cocky
- Cocky is informal and bold, often describing someone who is overconfident before success, unlike smug, which usually follows it.
Opposites
Word family
- smugly adverb
- in a self-satisfied way
- smugness noun
- the state of being too pleased with oneself
- smugger adjective
- comparative form
Commonly confused: smug or snug?
smug vs snug
Snug means cosy and comfortable, while smug means irritatingly self-satisfied; they differ by one letter.
Practice
After winning the quiz, Tom wore such a ____ grin that his friends rolled their eyes.
Choose one answer.
A smug grin shows irritating self-satisfaction. Snug means cosy and does not describe an attitude.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “smug”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.