self-congratulatingadj.
/ˌsɛlfkənˈɡratʃᵿleɪtɪŋ/, /ˌsɛlfkəŋˈɡratʃᵿleɪtɪŋ/, /ˌsɛlfkənˈɡratjᵿleɪtɪŋ/, /ˌsɛlfkəŋˈɡratjᵿleɪtɪŋ/, U.S. /ˌsɛlfkənˈɡrætʃəˌleɪdɪŋ/, /ˌsɛlfkənˈɡrædʒəˌleɪdɪŋ/ Engaging in or characterized by self-congratulation.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pride > vainglory > [adjective]
gloriousa1382
vainglorious?a1500
self-flatteringa1586
self-exalting1601
self-applauding1614
self-praised1626
self-flattered1647
self-glorying1659
self-exalted1668
self-gratulating1755
self-congratulating1774
self-congratulatory1798
self-applausivea1805
self-gratulatory1818
self-exaltative1821
1774 T. R. Appeal to Publick p. iv A kind of self-congratulating joy.
1785 W. Cowper Task v. 622 The puny child Of self-congratulating pride.
1833 S. Hoole Disc. xii. 150 The acknowledged offender on whom this self-congratulating separatist looks down with scorn and abhorrence.
1889 Harper's Mag. Apr. 736/2 This assumption of the married must be one of the hardest things for single women to bear in their self-congratulating sisters.
1903 Publishers' Weekly 14 Nov. 1057/2 Hovering on the verge of this knot of self-congratulating writers was a calm Chinaman.
1977 Bull. Atomic Scientists Dec. 32/2 The pressure would aim at dedicating at least a part of the 1979 jamboree for a discussion of the real issues, not for the presentation of self-congratulating official reports.
2007 Yachting Mar. 108/1 The truly great..tread lightly and stand above the self-congratulating din, on a pedestal of self-confidence and knowledge.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, January 2018; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1774