Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

self-satisfied

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.24 in modern English

Syllables: self--sat-is-fied
IPA

20

Scrabble Score

13

Letters

5

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Satisfied with oneself, especially over-satisfied; smug; slightly arrogant.

Example Sentences

"He stood back and looked at his project with a self-satisfied expression."
"From another point of view, it was a place without a soul. The well-to-do had hearts of stone; the rich were brutally bumptious; the Press, the Municipality, all the public men, were ridiculously, vaingloriously self-satisfied."
"And there he stood, as uncouth as ever, naked as the day he was born, but fatter and chinnier and even more self-satisfied […]"

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *swé? Proto-Indo-European *selbʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *selbaz Old English self Old English self- Middle English self- English self- English satisfied English self-satisfied From self- + satisfied.

Inflected Forms

more self-satisfied (comparative) most self-satisfied (superlative)

Frequently Paired Words

self-righteous self-assured

Synonyms

smug complacent self-complacent

Questions

What does self-satisfied mean?: Satisfied with oneself, especially over-satisfied; smug; slightly arrogant.
Where does self-satisfied come from?: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *swé? Proto-Indo-European *selbʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *selbaz Old English self Old English self- Middle English self- English self- English satisfied English self-satisfied From self- + satisfied.

How to pronounce self-satisfied

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “self-satisfied”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “self-satisfied”.
Repeat and practice — Say “self-satisfied” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.