Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

proud

- definition

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

adjective

/praʊd/

adjective	proud
comparative	prouder
superlative	proudest

Metaphor

1
feeling happy about your achievements, your possessions, or people who you are connected with
proud of:
We're so proud of her for telling the truth.
be proud to do something:
I'm proud to say we made the right decision.
the proud owner of something:
The next day I became the proud owner of a full set of tools.
proud (that):
We're proud that they choose our hotel for their conferences.
make someone proud (=do something good that makes people you are connected with feel proud):
You've made your mother very proud.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of proud
1. a.
  used about things you are proud of
  The country has a proud record of sporting achievement.
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of proud
2. b.
  used about someone who feels so proud that they think they are better than other people
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of proud
Collocations: proud
Collocations
proud1
▪ fiercely, immensely, inordinately, intensely, justifiably, justly, rightly
2
a proud person does not like other people to help them or to think they are weak
a proud and independent nation of people
be too proud to do something:
I was too proud to admit I didn't understand anything she said.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of proud

phrase

do someone proud
informal
to do something good that makes people you are connected with feel proud
The team has done the fans proud today.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of proud

derived word

proudly

adverb

Metaphor: proud

Metaphor

Being too proud, and thinking that you are better than other people, is like being high up. Being humble is like being low down.

I can't stand that superior attitude of his!
They look down on everyone who isn't as rich as they are.
She's gotten very uppity since she was promoted.
Despite all the money he has, he's not at all stuck-up.
She treated other people with lofty disdain.
They look down their noses at people like us.
I don't know why you're being so high and mighty all of a sudden.
He rose from lowly origins.
His family snubbed her because she was low-born.
I had always looked up to my older cousins.
The way she licks his boots makes me sick.
I'm not going to abase myself before anyone.
They regarded ordinary working people as their social inferiors.

➡ power, relationship

This is the American English definition of proud. View British English definition of proud.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to British English.

charticle

a news article that consists of a chart … and only has a small amount of text

BuzzWord Article

More BuzzWords

BuzzWord archive

Word of the Day

picture messaging

the sending of images and photographs from one mobile phone to another

Word of the Day

Open Dictionary

never event

an event that should never occur in a healthcare setting …

add a word

More submissions

view entries

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog