self-important
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- self-importance noun
- self-importantly adverb
Etymology
Origin of self-important
First recorded in 1765–75
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
There are those who would say he sounded snobbish or haughty or self-important.
From Literature
As Frost pointed out, it’s not necessary to annoy people with self-important umbrage.
From Salon
There are plenty of scrappy indie thrillers and international chillers that can pick up the slack outside of the glitzy domestic market, where Hollywood horror often gets lost in its own self-important sauce.
From Salon
I don’t want to make it sound totally self-important, but I do think there is something that's kind of nihilistic: “Don’t sell out, man,” even as you're selling out.
From Salon
“John Orr is basically a god among arson investigators in the state of California at that time,” said Matassa, who had taken classes from Orr and regarded him as arrogant and self-important.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
