vainglorious
/vein'glɔ:riəs/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Excessively proud of oneself or one's achievements; boastful: Characterized by or showing excessive vanity or unwarranted pride, often accompanied by boasting about one's accomplishments or qualities.
- Given to or marked by vainglory: Displaying an inordinate sense of self-importance and a desire for admiration from others.
Usage
The adjective vainglorious is used to describe a person, their behavior, or their attitude. It is a formal and literary term with a strong negative connotation, implying that the pride is empty, unjustified, or excessive. It often suggests arrogance and a need for constant praise.
Examples
- The vainglorious general cared more for parades and medals than for the welfare of his soldiers.
- Her vainglorious speeches about her own genius made her unpopular with her colleagues.
- He was too vainglorious to admit he had made a mistake.
Advanced Usage
- Vainglorious can be used in a historical or literary context to describe characters known for their hubris.
- The king's vainglorious ambition led to his eventual downfall.
Variants and Related Words
- Vainglory (noun): Inflated and unjustified pride in oneself or one's achievements; boastful vanity.
- His actions were motivated by pure vainglory.
- Vaingloriously (adverb): In a vainglorious manner.
- He vaingloriously claimed credit for the team's success.
Synonyms
- Conceited
- Egotistical
- Boastful
- Swaggering
- Pompous
- Narcissistic
Antonyms
- Humble
- Modest
- Self-effacing
Idioms and Related Phrases
- Full of oneself: Behaving in a way that shows you are very proud of your own abilities or appearance (less formal equivalent).
- Ever since he won the award, he's been completely full of himself.
- To have a swelled head: To be conceited or overly proud (informal idiom referenced in the context).
- The fame gave him a swelled head.
Adjective
- feeling self-importance
- too big for his britches
- had a swelled head
- he was swelled with pride