Word a Day
smug
What does smug mean?
smug (adjective): irritatingly pleased with oneself; offensively self-complacent, self-satisfied.
Definition: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
How do you pronounce smug?
/smʌɡ/ (IPA, American English). The app reads every word aloud.
Where does smug come from?
Originally "spruce, neat," from Low German smuk (“pretty”), from Middle Low German smuk (“lithe, delicate, neat, trim”), although the g of the English word is not easily explained.
Etymology: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Words related to smug
From Princeton WordNet 3.1.
Test yourself: do you know “smug”?
Tap an answer to check it. The same questions the app asks.
What does “smug” mean?
of a man or boy: attractively manly, having a pleasing face and overall effect
Not quite: that's what handsome means.
irritatingly pleased with oneself; offensively self-complacent, self-satisfied
Right! That's what “smug” means.
of or pertaining to a mother; having the characteristics of a mother; motherly
Not quite: that's what maternal means.
serving to hinder or oppose; adverse, disadvantageous, inconducive, unsuitable
Not quite: that's what unfavorable means.
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