smug

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“
I have become totally impatient with the smug -- if not bitchy -- prescriptiveness of a number of recent crabs who are wholly ignorant of the dynamics of language and unable to distinguish between imaginative usage and illiterate aberration.

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Definitions (11)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. adjective Exhibiting or feeling great or offensive satisfaction with oneself or with one's situation; self-righteously complacent: "the smug look of a toad breakfasting on fat marsh flies” (William Pearson).

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (7)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (2)

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Examples

  • I have become totally impatient with the smug -- if not bitchy -- prescriptiveness of a number of recent crabs who are wholly ignorant of the dynamics of language and unable to distinguish between imaginative usage and illiterate aberration. —  VERBATIM: The Language Quarterly Vol 1 No 4
  • Whiteley was incredibly smug, and I didn't like him. —  The 5th Horseman
  • Chaminade leaned back in his chair, his expression smug although his round belly appeared afflicted with a curiously rhythmic inner motion. —  Decision at Doona
  • "Better than that, man," Jason replied, his expression smug, gloating. —  Children Of The Night
  • " Looking smug, the swordsman crossed his arms over his chest and compromised with his legs by laying them across a small serving table. —  Into the Thinking Kingdoms
 

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Smug has been looked up 318 times, favorited once, listed 26 times, and commented on 4 times.

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Etymologies (5)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Perhaps akin to Low German smuck, neat, from Middle Low German, from smucken, to adorn.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (4)

  1. Early modern English also smoog; for *smuck, from Middle Low German Low German smuk = NFries. smok = German schmuck = Danish smuk = Swedish dial. smuck, smöck (G. and Scandinavian forms recent and prob. from Low German, but apparently ult. of Middle High German origin), neat, trim, spruce, elegant, fair; from the noun, Middle High German gesmuc, German schmuck, ornament, from Middle High German smücken, German schmücken = Middle Low German smucken, ornament, adorn, orig. dress, a secondary form of Middle High German smiegen = Anglo-Saxon smeógan, creep into, hence put on (a garment): see smock, n.
  2. from smug, a.
  3. Prob. abbreviation of smuggle, or from the same source.
  4. Perhaps so called as being blackened with soot or smoke (see smudge), or else as being “a neat, handy fellow” (Halliwell).
 

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/sməg/
by American Heritage

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