Choose the option that best expresses the meaning of the word 'Smug'.
- (a)Too confident about one’s own achievements
- (b)Too eager to help or obey someone important
- (c)Too emotional or dramatic
- (d)Too eager to bottle up conflicts
Answer
A
Why
Correct — A. 'Smug' describes someone excessively pleased with, and self-satisfied about, their own cleverness or achievements — often in an irritating way. 'Too confident about one's own achievements' captures this complacent self-regard.
Why the others are wrong
- (b)Too eager to help or obey someone important — That is 'obsequious' or 'servile' — a fault directed toward others, not the self-satisfaction that defines 'smug'.
- (c)Too emotional or dramatic — That is 'melodramatic' or 'histrionic'; 'smug' is about complacent self-regard, not emotional excess.
- (d)Too eager to bottle up conflicts — That describes conflict-avoidance; it has no link to the self-satisfied sense of 'smug'.
Concept
'Smug' means self-satisfied or complacent to an annoying degree — excessively pleased with oneself or one's achievements.
Related PYQs
No directly related past PYQ was found.
Practice
- practice — not a real PYQ
'He wore a smug smile after winning.' Here 'smug' means —
- (a)self-satisfied
- (b)apologetic
- (c)terrified
- (d)confused
Answer(a) self-satisfied — pleased with himself.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Choose the closest synonym of 'smug'.
- (a)complacent
- (b)humble
- (c)anxious
- (d)generous
Answer(a) complacent — smugly self-satisfied.