smugness

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

That will also have contained a large dose of smugness towards the Leeds fans, who had been throwing insults towards him during the game, according to the Spaniard.

From BBC • Feb. 28, 2026

He lorded over proceedings from a stage, microphone in hand and, always, an uncrackable smugness painted on his face.

From Slate • Sep. 10, 2025

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

Some critics have even drawn parallels between McCandless and the Arctic’s most infamous tragic figure, Sir John Franklin, a nineteenth-century British naval officer whose smugness and hauteur contributed to some 140 deaths, including his own.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer