SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
self-important
adjective
Having or displaying an exaggerated sense of one's own significance.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Inflated sense of importance
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topSelf-important emphasizes exaggerated personal significance. Overbearing describes the effect on other people; grandiose can also describe a plan or style.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See self-important in use
His self-important speech treated a routine announcement as a historic event.
In a small design collective, one member sounded conceited when he declared that nobody else could understand a logo as well as he could. His egotistical presentation spent most of its time celebrating his achievements instead of answering the client's questions. A self-important introduction then described him as the indispensable authority on every creative decision.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
- SELF-IMPORTANT Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
- SELF-IMPORTANCE Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
- Princeton WordNet 3.0: wn30-a-01889819
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license