as in smug
having too high an opinion of oneself
a self-important businessman who believed his schedule mattered more than anyone else's
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Recent Examples of self-important
And both weave rich tapestries out of seemingly disconnected actions through a panoramic collection of archetypes: the criminal outsider, the lonely lady, the political expert, the self-important political climber, the master manipulator.
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Andrew Moravcsik, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2019
Trailer spoofs In place of self-important promotion, Oldenburg every year releases a festival trailer spoofing a major blockbuster or cult movie.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 May 2024
The result is Shin Godzilla, a bone-dry satire of government impotence and self-important bureaucrats that’s the most realistic installment in the series since the original.
—Katie Rife, EW.com, 28 Mar. 2024
Not everyone is bland, gossipy and self-important anywhere.
—Haben Kelati, Washington Post, 3 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for self-important 
Andrew Moravcsik, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2019
Trailer spoofs In place of self-important promotion, Oldenburg every year releases a festival trailer spoofing a major blockbuster or cult movie.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 May 2024
The result is Shin Godzilla, a bone-dry satire of government impotence and self-important bureaucrats that’s the most realistic installment in the series since the original.
—Katie Rife, EW.com, 28 Mar. 2024
Not everyone is bland, gossipy and self-important anywhere.
—Haben Kelati, Washington Post, 3 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for self-important
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-important
Adjective
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But while the 118 is able to save both Celeste and her mother-in-law’s final resting place, a smug Trent trips and drops the vase, an appropriate punchline to a very silly cold open.Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2024
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The smug conventional wisdom has it that voters don’t care much about abstractions like democracy or the rule of law.Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Manji will appear as Crispin, an arrogant, pompous employee at a fancy, high-end hardware store who snubs George.Katie Campione, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2024
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My 21-year-old grandson is a dramatic and arrogant know-it-all.Jeanne Phillips, The Mercury News, 26 Sep. 2024
Adjective
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From this noble, if admittedly egotistical goal, come gaslighting, madness, war, self-mutilation, and murder.James Grebey, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2024
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Pharrell Williams’s egotistical fantasy Talent is not always original.Armond White, National Review, 11 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Gregory is touched by the compliment and proud of his ability to connect with a student, but Darnell isn’t pleased with the idea of another man forming a bond with his son.Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2024
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The proud cat mom concluded her message by reminding fans to register to vote.Toria Sheffield, People.com, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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This reward is coming in from the universe to remind you that all of your inner work has not been done in vain.Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Nov. 2024
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The ability to articulate the struggle for decent food became another vain virtue signal.Harmony Holiday, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Daemon, Viserys’s vainglorious younger brother, had married his niece in part as a way to strengthen his own bid for the throne, and Alicent had pushed for the ascension of her immature firstborn, Aegon.Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2024
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Debuting March 3, the six-part realpolitik satire, created and executive produced by Succession alum Will Tracy, sees Oscar and Emmy winner Winslet return to HBO in an often hilarious role as the vainglorious Elena.Dominic Patten, Deadline, 20 June 2024
Adjective
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Rory Kinnear steals some of the best lines as the conceited British prime minister, and Ato Essandoh, as Kate’s deputy chief, plays the ever-flustered man surrounded by extremely capable women with admirable humor, charm, and confidence.Ben Travers, IndieWire, 30 Oct. 2024
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Not to sound so conceited and absolute.Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 May 2022
Adjective
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Bonneville, as the ineffectually pompous Mr. Brown, always gives the impression of having a whale of a time.Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2024
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Film festivals can often be pompous affairs, full of endless gatekeeping, infinite gradations of status, and extremely specific dress codes.Nate Jones, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near self-important
Cite this Entry
“Self-important.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-important. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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