Vainglorious
hardvayn-GLOR-ee-us
adjective
Definition
Excessively proud of oneself or one's achievements; boastful
Examples
“The vainglorious general boasted of his victories.”
“His vainglorious speeches alienated listeners.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
Categories
GRE Tip
Vainglorious is a hard-difficulty GRE word. On the GRE, you might see it paired with synonyms like "boastful" or "conceited" in Sentence Equivalence questions. Look for contrast clues (however, despite, although) that signal the opposite meaning. Words like "humble".
Related GRE Words
narcissistic
Having an excessive interest in oneself and one's appearance
pretentious
Attempting to impress by affecting greater importance than actually possessed
bombastic
High-sounding but with little meaning; inflated or pretentious language
egotistical
Excessively conceited or self-centered
grandiose
Impressive or magnificent but often exaggerated or pretentious
supercilious
Behaving as though one is superior to others
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