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Glite Dictionary
to pat oneself on the back

to pat oneself on the back

28 6.9
To praise yourself too much for something you did
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : darse palmaditas en la espalda
  • After finishing the project, I took a moment to pat myself on the back for my hard work.

Examples

  • The administration likes to pat itself on the back for supposedly being strong on Iran sanctions.

    Blog text (3)

  • Okay, well, I guess maybe some of us were patting ourselves on the back.

    Blog text (2)

  • You should pat yourself on the back.

    A Man Called Otto (2022)

  • Not to pat myself on the back, but, yes, it probably will be.

    Despicable Me (2010)

  • You ought to pat yourself on the back, Jake.

    Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005)

  • Now let's pat ourselves on the back for a job well done!

    The Commitments (1991)

  • General, I'm not one to pat myself on the back, but I could have told you he was gonna blow sky high.

    The In-Laws (1979)

  • Okay, if you see it as my patting myself on the back, then so be it.

    Blog text (2)

  • I wasn't trying to pat myself on the back, and you missed the point.

    Blog text (2)

  • And then there are other times when you might save a life, that you go home and you pat yourself on the back and you're saying to yourself: I did something really good.

    From the Ashes (2024)

Synonyms

to congratulate
vsto pat oneself on the back
232 2.4

To tell someone you are happy about their success or good news

is specifically self-directed praise, often with added self-importance
to brag
vsto pat oneself on the back
191 2.7

To talk in a proud way about yourself or what you have

focuses more on internal congratulation than on showing off to others
to boast
vsto pat oneself on the back
96 3.1

To talk proudly about your achievements to impress people

leans more toward self-directed praise rather than external boasting
to toot your own horn
vsto pat oneself on the back
  • Informal
7 7.5

To talk proudly about things you have done

tends to be slightly more inward and possibly less performative
to blow one's own trumpet
vsto pat oneself on the back
  • UK
1 7.8

To talk proudly about your own abilities or achievements

is similar but can be quieter and more self-directed than public bragging
to brag excessively
vsto pat oneself on the back
6.2

To talk too proudly about yourself or what you have done

is more about modest private self-praise than loud public boasting
bragging
vsto pat oneself on the back
3.3

Showing too much pride when talking about yourself

is more about occasional self-congratulation rather than ongoing proud talk
to pride oneself
vsto pat oneself on the back
3.9

Feel pleased about your own qualities, achievements or things you own

adds the act of expressing that satisfaction openly rather than just feeling it

Antonyms

to blame
∞ 1.6

To say that someone or something caused something bad

to criticize
701 3.3

To say what is wrong with someone or something

How Proud

to gloat
60 6.9
to brag
191 2.7
to pat oneself on the back
  • Informal
28 6.9
to triumph
60 3.4
pleased
936 1.0

Surface Forms

pat oneself on the back infinitive

Morphology

pat + oneself + on + the + back

The literal words describe physically touching one’s own back, so the core idea of self-directed action is transparent; however the idiomatic sense of praising or congratulating oneself is a metaphorical extension that requires pragmatic/cultural knowledge. Because the connection is inferable but not fully predictable (especially the nuance of excessive self-importance), this is best judged as partially transparent to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Pat oneself on the back comes from the simple image of someone who pats another person's back to say 'well done'. When you do the same to yourself, you are praising yourself, so the phrase means 'to praise or congratulate yourself'.