Definition

1. 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

1. feeling self-importance
   • too big for his britches
   • had a swelled head
   • he was swelled with pride