Smug is an English word of 4 letters with synonyms like contented or content. Below you'll find 10+ example sentences showing how it's used in practice.
Smug in a sentence
Related words
Smug meaning
- irritatingly pleased with oneself; offensively self-complacent, self-satisfied.
- Showing smugness; showing self-complacency, self-satisfaction.
- Studiously neat or nice, especially in dress; spruce; affectedly precise; smooth and prim.
Using Smug
- The main meaning on this page is: irritatingly pleased with oneself; offensively self-complacent, self-satisfied. | Showing smugness; showing self-complacency, self-satisfaction. | Studiously neat or nice, especially in dress; spruce; affectedly precise; smooth and prim.
- Useful related words include: self-satisfied, contented, content.
- In the example corpus, smug often appears in combinations such as: smug and, smug about, smug as.
Context around Smug
- Average sentence length in these examples: 19.3 words
- Position in the sentence: 2 start, 11 middle, 7 end
- Sentence types: 18 statements, 1 questions, 1 exclamations
Corpus analysis for Smug
- In this selection, "smug" usually appears in the middle of the sentence. The average example has 19.3 words, and this corpus slice is mostly made up of statements.
- Around the word, little, seemed, own, smile, grin and few stand out and add context to how "smug" is used.
- Recognizable usage signals include a little smug and a little smug as i. That gives this page its own corpus information beyond isolated example sentences.
- By corpus frequency, "smug" sits close to words such as abnormally, acrobatic and adm, which helps place it inside the broader word index.
Example types with smug
The same corpus examples are grouped by length and sentence type, making it easier to see the contexts in which the word appears:
Or worse, maybe it sounds smug? (6 words)
Classy, and nae in the least bit smug! (8 words)
I’m not smug – smug would mean I was enjoying this. (11 words)
For many of us, this will mean a last-minute dash around the shops to get presents sorted in time for the big day, but for the smug few who managed to get everything sorted in advance, it's a time to relax and unwind. (45 words)
My own batch cooking experiment shows me that batch cooking really does save time and money, and I have to be honest, I feel a little smug as I pull pre-made chilli con carne out of the freezer. (39 words)
The Radio 2 presenter, 34, took to his Instagram Stories where he posted a selfie showing himself with a smug smile while holding up a peace sign with his fingers. (30 words)
Or worse, maybe it sounds smug? (6 words)
Classy, and nae in the least bit smug! (8 words)
Example sentences (20)
I’m not smug – smug would mean I was enjoying this.
After Stefan promised he was coming for EJ, he seemed smug as he insisted EJ wouldn’t see it coming.
Again I smiled to myself as I pictured my own smug grin when bagging 35/35 marks.
Canadians cannot afford to be smug about the stability of our banks.
Classy, and nae in the least bit smug!
Everyone agreed with each other too much; it could feel a little smug.
For many of us, this will mean a last-minute dash around the shops to get presents sorted in time for the big day, but for the smug few who managed to get everything sorted in advance, it's a time to relax and unwind.
His expression is smug and playful, while the blush on Dionysus' cheeks implies that he's always at least a little drunk.
However, a smug Invasion of the Body Snatchers spoof that features an outdated anti-tech moral drags this one down.
I am rarely tired though, so feel rather smug about this.
I’m sorry, this is the exact situation where it’s obnoxiously smug.
Marlena opened it and found Kristen standing there with a smug look on her face.
My own batch cooking experiment shows me that batch cooking really does save time and money, and I have to be honest, I feel a little smug as I pull pre-made chilli con carne out of the freezer.
Or worse, maybe it sounds smug?
Some people thought she was smug and opportunistic, and deserved to be taken down a peg or two.
That's where come in. At the very least, you’ll have something smug to tell your friends about next time you’re listening to a song.
The mood in a once somewhat smug city is now gloomy and suffused with anger towards political leaders and the tech firms alike.
The Radio 2 presenter, 34, took to his Instagram Stories where he posted a selfie showing himself with a smug smile while holding up a peace sign with his fingers.
The sudden switch takes everyone by surprise, and Tsukimi can only throw a smug smile at Megumi.
Although Drew was feeling good about his poll numbers, Nina pushed him not to get too smug about it.
Common combinations with smug
These word pairs occur most frequently in English texts:
- smug and 9×
- smug about 7×
- smug as 6×
- the smug 6×
- smug in 4×
- and smug 4×
- as smug 4×
- be smug 3×
- bit smug 3×
- little smug 3×