SELF-AGGRANDIZEMENT Synonyms: 79 Similar and Opposite Words

self-aggrandizement

noun

as in arrogance

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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-aggrandizement Instead, place naming should serve the public interest rather than promoting the personal legacies of those seeking to commemorate themselves as a form of self-aggrandizement. — Reuben Rose-Redwood, Time, 23 Oct. 2026 The idea that a sitting President would put a picture of himself on his country’s passport is an act of pure self-aggrandizement that runs counter to every American instinct since the birth of the country. — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-aggrandizement

Noun

McVay and Snead have effectively built a culture of arrogance.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 24 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

In Sam’s case, his roaring egotism is somewhat awkward because he’s also obsessed with the idea of being altruistic.

— Joy Press, Vanity Fair, 28 Oct. 2026
Putting your face on the passport, like forcing your name onto another President’s memorial, is a symptom of tyrannical egotism, exactly opposite to the republican premise.

— Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 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

Meanwhile, Jackson is sounding the alarm over sluggish early voting across deep-red rural Georgia, warning that complacency in GOP strongholds could jeopardize his bid for governor.

— AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 23 Oct. 2026
His household becomes a microcosm of a broader societal moral decay, fuelled by detachment, indifference, corruption, complacency and the pursuit of comfort.

— Katherine Brodsky, Variety, 16 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

The candidate, whose relishing of combative interviews and debates verges occasionally on smugness, was slated to potentially appear on 60 Minutes before the November election, people familiar with the planning said.

— semafor.com, semafor.com, 19 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of smugness

Browse Nearby Words

self-affected

self-aggrandizement

self-aggrandizing

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Self-aggrandizement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-aggrandizement. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of self-aggrandizement

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

wraith

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes