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/smʌɡ/ · adjective
Irritatingly pleased with oneself; offensively self-complacent, self-satisfied..
Kate looked extremely smug this morning.
a smug look on her face
They be so smug and smooth.
the smug and scanty draperies of his style
A young, smug, handsome holiness has no fellow.
Thus said, he smug'd his beard, and stroked up fair.
1899 Ambrose Bierce: Fantastic Fables. Hearing a sound of strife, a Christian in the Orient asked his Dragoman the cause of it. "The Buddhists are cutting Mohammedan throats," the Dragoman replied, with oriental composure. "I did not know," remarked the Christian, with scientific interest, "that that would make so much noise." "The Mohammedans are cutting Buddhist throats, too," added the Dragoman. "It is astonishing," mused the Christian, "how violent and how general are religious animosities. Everywhere in the world the devotees of each local faith abhor the devotees of every other, and abstain from murder only so long as they dare not commit it. And the strangest thing about it is that all religions are erroneous and mischievous excepting mine. Mine, thank God, is true and benign." So saying he visibly smugged and went off to telegraph for a brigade of cutthroats to protect Christian interests.
Have not they some term by which they distinguish the illicit trade? — They usually call it the Smug-pigeon.
Use smug when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.
Smug means Irritatingly pleased with oneself; offensively self-complacent, self-satisfied..
Common synonyms include complacent, gloaty, self-satisfied, airy.
The opposite depends on the specific sense.
Kate looked extremely smug this morning.
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