smug en · ADJ · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- /smʊɡ/ (Northern-England)
- (Australia) audio
- /smʌɡ/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation, Southern-England)
- /smɐɡ/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
- smŭg
Etymology
Originally "spruce, neat," from Low German smuk (“pretty”), from Middle Low German smuk (“lithe, delicate, neat, trim”), although the g of the English word is not easily explained. The ultimate source should be Proto-West Germanic *smeugan (“to crawl, creep”). From the Low German derived also North Frisian smok, Danish smuk and Swedish smukk (now obsolete or dialectal). Compare also Middle High German gesmuc (“ornament”) and smücken (“to dress, to adorn”), both ultimately from smiegen (“to press to, insert, wrap, to nestle”), hence German schmiegen, Schmuck and schmücken. The adjective schmuck, however, was borrowed from Low German. See smock for more.
Meanings
-
Irritatingly pleased with oneself; offensively self-complacent, self-satisfied.
Kate looked extremely smug this morning.
-
Showing smugness; showing self-complacency, self-satisfaction.
a smug look on her face
-
(obsolete) Studiously neat or nice, especially in dress; spruce; affectedly precise; smooth and prim.
They be so smug and smooth.
1556, Raphe Robynson, More’s Utopia: The English Translation thereof:the smug and scanty draperies of his style
1828, Thomas De Quincey, “Elements of Rhetoric”, in Blackwood's Magazine:A young, smug, handsome holiness has no fellow.
c. 1621, John Fletcher, Philip Massinger, “The Pilgrim”, in Comedies and Tragedies […], London: […] Humphrey Robinson, […], and for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1647, →OCLC, Act I, scene ii:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| smugger | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| smuggest | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Deriveds
smugly · smugness · smugfest · smuggish · unsmug · smuggery
Synonyms
pretentious · high-hat · uppy · hankty · self-satisfied · recherché · authoritarian · priggish · bombastic · hubristic · thrasonic · inflated · disdainful · stagy · holier-than-thou · affected · blustery · entitled · glorious · presumptuous · upstage · imperious · snobbish · high-handed · grandiose · pompous · big-headed · uppish · overrefined · puffed up · biggity · conceited · thrasonical · full of oneself · Woosterian · haughty · stilted · highfalutin · affected · tumid · insolent · fey · theatrical · overbearing · hubristical · ostentatious · buggish · sanctimonious · airy · chesty · toplofty · boastful · haut · arrogant · smug · complacent · high and mighty · turgid · gloaty · supercilious · self-important · vain · stout · lordly · turgescent · precious · la-di-da · egotistical · flatulent · hoity-toity · pansified · toploftical · hoity-toity · effete · snotty · uppity · overweening · overrefined · snooty · orgulous · cocky · haught · pretentious · domineering · flaunting · stuck up
Translations (68)
gl pimpante (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · nb selvtilfreds (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · sh samozadovoljan (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · lzh-lit 躊躇 (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · bg самодоволен (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · fi itsetyytyväinen (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · pt convencido (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · el αυτάρεσκος (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · ja 調子に乗る (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · ja 独り善がり (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · cmn 得意 (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · mi whakaī (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · pt presunçoso (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · de dünkelhaft (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · cmn 自滿 /自满 (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · es creído (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · de arrogant (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · he זחוח (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · es ufano (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · gl fanfurriñeiro (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · es fatuo (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · de selbstgefällig (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · ca petulant (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · es sobrado (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · fr suffisant (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · it compiaciuto (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · pa ਮਨਮੌਜੀ (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · ca ufà (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · fr auto-satisfait (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · it autocompiaciuto (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · fo sjálvgóður (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · fo sjálvglaður (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · ro îngâmfat (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · da selvfed (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · pl irytująco zadowolony z siebie (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · de selbstzufrieden (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · nn sjølvgod (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · gl xactancioso (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · da selvgod (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · de eingebildet (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · sk samoľúby (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · gl oufano (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · de blasiert (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · de überheblich (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · sv självgod (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · gl fachendoso (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · es finchado (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · fi itseriittoinen (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · sv mallig (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · cs namyšlený (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · nl zelfingenomen (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · cs domýšlivý (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · cs samolibý (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · cs nafoukaný (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · fi omahyväinen (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · fr fat (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · es petulante (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · hu önelégült (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · nb selvgod (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · mi whakakake (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · ru самодово́льный (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · uk самовдово́лений (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · mi whakahīhī (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · es engreído (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · ka თვითკმაყოფილი (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · sv självbelåten (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · pl próżny (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied) · de süffisant (irritatingly pleased with oneself; self-satisfied)