to preen
2
6.7
- verb
- /priːn/
:
presumir
- He tends to preen himself whenever he receives praise for his work, clearly enjoying the attention.
- strut and preen
You know that the grandiose narcissist is the prancing, preening Peacock.
- You know that the grandiose narcissist is the prancing, preening Peacock.
- So Goliath is a stand in for pride, as at his prides raging and preening himself, threatening the sky with his shield.
- I thought the hypocrisy of it, the political preening, it was very distasteful to me.
- So he says when you've adjusted to simple living in regard to your bodily wants, do not preen yourself about the accomplishment.
Examples
-
And I was kind of preening, and she looked down and she said, will you buy me some Ozempic?
-
Rosina absolutely preened herself when the blessed event occurred ten months later.
Academic text (1996) -
And I was sort of preening and, you know, showing off.
-
For the past year or two, it had been his personal gold mine, and every time he'd mentioned it, he had preened like a proud father.
Fiction book (1992) -
So he says when you've adjusted to simple living in regard to your bodily wants, do not preen yourself about the accomplishment.
-
Ajay, you seem to laugh, preen, and crow over your own imaginary cleverness.
Blog text (31) -
I think we're both aware that in the past few months you've become, should we say, slightly feared?" Justine preened.
Fiction book (1994) -
They preen for the C-SPAN cameras at the expense of intelligent debate and thoughtful deliberation.
Academic text (1994) -
After winning the award, she couldn't help but preen in front of her friends, basking in their compliments.
-
Once the team secured their victory, the players began to preen with pride as fans cheered enthusiastically.
Synonyms
45
3.4
To feel pleased about something you or others do
Compounds
- Specialized
An oil gland at the base of a bird's tail that birds use to spread oil on their feathers
How Proud
Surface Forms
Etymology
Preen can mean to show satisfaction and pride in yourself, and this sense grew from the idea of someone looking pleased after grooming like a bird that has just fixed its feathers; so to preen yourself is to 'show satisfaction and pride'.