self-satisfaction

noun

ˌself-ˌsa-təs-ˈfak-shən How to pronounce self-satisfaction (audio)
Definition of self-satisfactionnext
as in vanity
an often unjustified feeling of being pleased with oneself or with one's situation or achievements so many of the Web site's self-portraits give the impression of clueless self-satisfaction

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Example Sentences

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-satisfaction There’s a fine line between righteousness and self-satisfaction, and the second season, which premieres on HBO Max on January 8, frequently stumbles into the latter territory. — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 6 Jan. 2026 Enmired in the self-satisfactions and unnamed timidities of childhood, Galinda finds in herself neither canniness nor the need to cultivate it. — Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 30 Nov. 2025 After a precise drone and cruise missile successfully hit Saudi Arabia’s vital oil infrastructure in September 2019, Russia could hardly conceal its delight and self-satisfaction. — Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025 Trump himself personifies stupidity’s essential feature — self-satisfaction, an inability to recognize the flaws in your thinking. — David Brooks, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for self-satisfaction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-satisfaction
  1. vanity
  2. ego
  3. pride
  4. arrogance
  5. smugness
Noun
  • Rather than through a cold call or email, the scammers lure them through websites offering self-publishing or vanity publishing.
    — Snigdha Poonam, The Dial, 13 Oct. 2026
  • And the angelic youth Dorian Gray’s deadly descent into vanity and vice—ignited by a hubristic obsession with his own image—eerily foreshadows the grim trajectory of Wilde’s later years.
    — Hannah Aizenman, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of vanity
Noun
  • Both teams now limp into Saturday's game in Austin with bruised bodies and egos, and carrying a whiff of desperation for a win to keep the season from unraveling.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Did that feel like a parody of my ego, or also a way to make fun of it?
    — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of ego
Noun
  • Some will say past results don’t matter, but many of TCU’s veterans are used to beating Baylor and take pride it in.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Behind the reputation that surrounded them, there was humor, loyalty, and pride.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of pride
Noun
  • An America that seeks justice with dignity and wisdom, not arrogance and gore.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
  • These fascinating, illuminating episodes raise the question of whether great fiction requires the kind of single-mindedness and even arrogance that McCarthy cultivated.
    — New York Times, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of arrogance
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

Browse Nearby Words

selfsameness
self-satisfaction
self-satisfied
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Cite this Entry

“Self-satisfaction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-satisfaction. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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