appear smug

Frequency: 7.210.5 per million words

To give the impression of being overly self-satisfied.

smugVERBS + smug

Categories:

appear

Examples (10)

  • He tried not to appear smug after winning the competition.
  • Despite his success, he managed not to appear smug.
  • She didn't want to appear smug when her team finally won.
  • Even though he knew the answer, he didn't appear smug.
  • The politician tried to appear humble, not smug, in his victory speech.
  • He has a tendency to appear smug when he's proven right.
  • She hoped her expression wouldn't appear smug to her colleagues.
  • He tried to appear modest, but he couldn't hide his smug satisfaction.
  • The way he spoke made him appear rather smug.
  • After the presentation, he didn't want to appear smug, even though it went well.