SELF-AGGRANDIZEMENT Synonyms: 79 Similar and Opposite Words

self-aggrandizement

noun

as in arrogance

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of self-aggrandizement To anyone who had actually seen the documentary, with its droll depiction of collective self-aggrandizement, this was hogwash. — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026 While Garfield’s story — Civil War veteran, farmer, reluctant president — is the stuff of the American Dream, Guiteau’s penchant for delusion and self-aggrandizement is clearly an American Nightmare. — Joe Otterson, Variety, 27 May 2026 Too often the main concern is self preservation, or self-aggrandizement. — Rabbi Dan Levin, Sun Sentinel, 14 Apr. 2026 Trying to follow his energy, his whims, his insults and his self-aggrandizement practically requires a seatbelt to watch. — Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 24 Feb. 2026 Such self-aggrandizement has never been an attractive side of Trump—again, even for many of his supporters. — Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2026 Long trolling Trump in what many view as the lead-up to a 2028 White House bid by the two-term Democrat, Newsom’s missive comes in all caps and with the over-the-top self-aggrandizement that is common to POTUS himself — which is often the point. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 7 Feb. 2026 Taking over a large country ought to be done with circumspection and consensus, not the self-aggrandizement and demagoguery of a massive personality disorder. — John Brummett, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026 Coach has never been one to miss an opportunity for self-aggrandizement, and this quote effectively characterizes his three previous Survivor appearances not as failures but as bold attempts to tame a raging sea. — Joe Reid, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-aggrandizement

Noun

Ilya is looking for work as an assistant, and the professor, with his dandyish nerd arrogance, tells him to look at a paper he’s written and come back in a few days.

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026
This standalone novel looks at the cult of celebrity, the bond among parents and children, entitlement and arrogance, all wrapped into a tightly wound plot that’s an evocative historical steeped in the Great Depression.

— Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of arrogance

Noun

My suite was beyond spacious, with a full entryway with desk and wetbar giving way to a seating area; large, plush bed; then a closet and vanity area leading into a massive bathroom—which had a full soaking tub and two pedestal sinks.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
HomePop Clover Shaped Ottoman A decorative pouf can wear many hats—vanity seating, an extra chair for company, or even a foot stool in lieu of a chaise.

— Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of vanity

Noun

Nolan foregrounds the nobility that guides the character (his guilt, his dedication to his men, his yearning for his family) and neglects his wily cunning and egotism.

— Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 27 July 2026
But never mind these displays of egotism and tackiness that currently blemish landmarks throughout the nation’s capital, including the National Mall, traditional site of the annual July Fourth fireworks.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026

Definition of egotism

Noun

His face is a mix of affectlessness and self-satisfaction, putting him somewhere between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, with a touch of the Cheshire cat.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026
After 50 minutes of self-satisfaction, the hero fades serenely into a sunset that Dudamel made miraculously mystical.

— Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026

Definition of self-satisfaction

Noun

The lack of protest songs in today’s music industry has inspired many think pieces exploring what happened and whether it can be attributed to factors like a more general complacency among artists or fear from their record labels.

— Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026
As a result, #NiUnaMenos, a feminist group that originated in Argentina and whose aim is to combat complacency in societies that experience femicides, has taken root in Mexico.

— Daniel Peña, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of complacency

Noun

But others question the effectiveness of the California’s good-government reforms and merits of the self-glorification that followed.

— Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2026
The underlying corruption of FIFA, which runs the World Cup, makes the organization a willing accomplice in his quest for self-glorification.

— Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 7 Apr. 2026

Definition of self-glorification

Noun

That joke, which McNamara hits with a palpable sparkle of smugness, illustrates how deliciously blunt her comedic sensibility is.

— Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026
Even if the movie gets a bit crazy in an apocalyptic epilogue, its picture of bourgeois smugness due for a takedown is delicious.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of smugness

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“Self-aggrandizement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-aggrandizement. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of self-aggrandizement

noun

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