self-satisfaction

noun

The state of being excessively pleased with oneself; smugness.

Similar
complacencycomplacenceself-complacency
OriginEnglish satisfaction ← Middle English self- ← Old English self- →
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Meanings

nounself-satisfaction (uncountable)
  1. uncountableThe state of being excessively pleased with oneself; smugness.
  2. uncountableA feeling of fulfillment or contentment with respect to one's own accomplishments or situation.

    Without being in any way smug she was radiant with self-satisfaction and well-doing.

    1905, Bram Stoker, “Fore-Glimpse”, in The Man

Synonyms & antonyms

nounthe feeling you have when you are satisfied with yourself

Similar
complacencycomplacenceself-complacency
Broader
satisfaction
Also see
complacencecomplacencyself-complacency

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*swé?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*selbʰ-
  3. Proto-Germanic*selbaz
  4. Old Englishself
  5. Old Englishself-
  6. Middle Englishself-
  7. Englishself-
  8. Englishsatisfaction
  9. Englishself-satisfaction

From self- + satisfaction.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish omahyväisyys, itsetyytyväisyys
  • omahyväisyysbeing excessively pleased with oneself
  • itsetyytyväisyyscontentment with one's own accomplishments or situation
French autosatisfaction
  • autosatisfactioncontentment with one's own accomplishments or situation
German Selbstzufriedenheit, Selbstzufriedenheit
  • Selbstzufriedenheitbeing excessively pleased with oneself
  • Selbstzufriedenheitcontentment with one's own accomplishments or situation
Greek αυτοϊκανοποίηση
  • αυτοϊκανοποίηση (aftoïkanopoíisi)contentment with one's own accomplishments or situation
Hindi आत्मसंतोष
  • आत्मसंतोष (ātmasantoṣ)contentment with one's own accomplishments or situation
Hungarian önelégültség
  • önelégültségbeing excessively pleased with oneself
Irish bogás
  • bogáscontentment with one's own accomplishments or situation
Polish samozadowolenie, zadowolenie z siebie
  • samozadowoleniebeing excessively pleased with oneself
  • zadowolenie z siebiecontentment with one's own accomplishments or situation
Russian самоудовлетворе́ние
  • самоудовлетворе́ние (samoudovletvorénije)contentment with one's own accomplishments or situation
Cite this entry
APA

self-satisfaction. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-satisfaction

MLA

“self-satisfaction.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-satisfaction. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “self-satisfaction,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-satisfaction.

Source: self-satisfaction on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.