pride
noun
a high or inordinate opinion of one's own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc.
Trivia Time
The word pride can be used playfully to describe what?
pride
1 American
[prahyd]
/ praɪd /
noun
-
pride
plural
-
a high or inordinate opinion of one's own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc.
- Antonyms:
- humility
-
the state or feeling of being proud.
-
a becoming or dignified sense of what is due to oneself or one's position or character; self-respect; self-esteem.
-
pleasure or satisfaction taken in something done by or belonging to oneself or believed to reflect credit upon oneself.
civic pride.
-
celebration of a specific minority group and affirmation of equal rights for members of that community: Puerto Rican pride.
Black pride;
Puerto Rican pride.
-
something that causes a person or persons to be proud.
His art collection was the pride of the family.
- Synonyms:
- boast
-
the best of a group, class, society, etc..
This bull is the pride of the herd.
-
the most flourishing state or period.
in the pride of adulthood.
-
mettle in a horse.
-
Literary. splendor, magnificence, or pomp.
-
a group of lions.
-
sexual desire, especially in a female animal.
-
ornament or adornment.
verb (used with object)
prided,
priding
idioms
Pride
2
American
[prahyd]
/ praɪd /
noun
-
recognition of LGBTQ identity, affirmation of equal rights, and celebration of visibility, dignity, and diversity in the LGBTQ community (formerly referred to asGay Pride ).
The primary mission of our new student organization is Pride.
-
events or organizations that celebrate the LGBTQ community and its members (often used attributively): LGBT people of color are celebrating Black and Latinx Pride this June.
Pride was extra special the first year I was out.
LGBT people of color are celebrating Black and Latinx Pride this June.
Have you ever been to the Pride parade in NYC?
Pride
3
American
[prahyd]
/ praɪd /
noun
pride
1
British
/ praɪd /
noun
-
a feeling of honour and self-respect; a sense of personal worth
-
excessive self-esteem; conceit
-
a source of pride
-
satisfaction or pleasure taken in one's own or another's success, achievements, etc (esp in the phrase take ( a ) pride in )
-
the better or most superior part of something; flower
-
the most flourishing time
-
a group (of lions)
-
the mettle of a horse; courage; spirit
-
archaic sexual desire, esp in a female animal
-
archaic display, pomp, or splendour
-
the most important position
verb
-
(tr; foll by on or upon) to take pride in (oneself) for
-
(intr) to glory or revel (in)
Pride
2
British
/ praɪd /
noun
pride
More Idioms
Sensitive Note
The precursors to Pride as we know it today were the Gay Liberation Movement marches of the 1970s in New York City. The first of these took place in June of 1970 with demonstrators marching up Avenue of the Americas chanting, “Say it loud, gay is proud!” By 1973 the annual march in June was the final event of a celebration becoming known as Gay Pride Week. Over the next 30 years, Pride events grew and flourished in many cities, and the term Gay Pride was often understood to be inclusive of the entire LGBTQ community. However, in the 2000s, activists began to question whether using Gay Pride as an umbrella term constituted erasure of lesbians, bisexuals, transgender people, or other identities in the LGBTQ community. Increasingly, Gay Pride was replaced with LGBT Pride or LGBTQ Pride . And, by 2020, the celebrations and the movement as a whole were often referred to as simply Pride .
Usage
What is Pride Month? Pride Month is a month-long observance in celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people—and the history, culture, and contributions of these people and their communities. It is not limited to people with these sexualities or gender identities. Pride Month also celebrates and is celebrated by those with a range of other identities considered outside of the cishet mainstream. Pride Month is commonly called Pride for short, as in I can’t wait for Pride!Different abbreviations often precede the name of the month, including LGBT, LGBTQ, and LGBTQ+, among others that are intended to be as inclusive as possible. It is commonly celebrated with parades and other large, celebratory gatherings devoted to individual displays of pride and expression. Pride Month commemorates the 1969 event known as the Stonewall Riots or the Stonewall Uprising, which is often considered the start of the movement for gay, queer, and transgender rights.
Synonym Usage
Pride, conceit, self-esteem, egotism, vanity, vainglory imply an unduly favorable idea of one's own appearance, advantages, achievements, etc., and often apply to offensive characteristics. Pride is a lofty and often arrogant assumption of superiority in some respect: Pride must have a fall. Conceit implies an exaggerated estimate of one's own abilities or attainments, together with pride: blinded by conceit. Self-esteem may imply an estimate of oneself that is higher than that held by others: a ridiculous self-esteem. Egotism implies an excessive preoccupation with oneself or with one's own concerns, usually but not always accompanied by pride or conceit: His egotism blinded him to others' difficulties. Vanity implies self-admiration and an excessive desire to be admired by others: His vanity was easily flattered. Vainglory, somewhat literary, implies an inordinate and therefore empty or unjustified pride: puffed up by vainglory.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of pride1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English noun prid, pride, pritte, from Old English prȳde, prȳte (cognate with Old Norse prȳthi “bravery, pomp”), derivative of prūd proud
Origin of Pride2
First recorded in 1975–80; pride ( def. ) (in the sense “celebration of a specific minority group and affirmation of equal rights for members of that community”)
Explanation
The noun pride describes a feeling of happiness that comes from achieving something. When you do a good job or finish a difficult task, you feel pride. Pride can also have a negative meaning and refer to exceedingly high self-regard. If you know someone with the negative kind of pride, you might notice that his pride makes it hard for people to like him. Pride can also refer to the standards you have for yourself — your dignity. For example, you might have too much pride to ask for help when you need it. Pride also acts as a verb meaning "be proud of." You might pride yourself on being punctual, or pride yourself on always having a daring, trendsetting haircut.
Vocabulary lists containing pride
June Vocabulary Words
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"Dragon, Dragon"
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The Contender
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
They use mathematical models to predict where markets are going and take pride in removing emotion from investment decisions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
"The only reaction the American people and the American media should have is pride."
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
As a kid in Visalia, which is more than half Latino, Navarrette never questioned her pride in her identity as a Latina.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
Along those lines, “Oprah” raised the profiles of many figures, including life-fixer Iyanla Vanzant and interior designer Nate Berkus, who reframed homekeeping as house pride.
From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026
Madame Ionesco was still aglow with pride about her ability to summon Edward Ashton back from the dead.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
"Pride Cymru was such an amazing experience and I learned so much about my family lineage," said Star.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
“As governments and companies seek financing, markets are absorbing unprecedented issuance, increasing competition for scarce capital,” said Jason Pride, chief of investment strategy and research, and Michael Reynolds, vice president of investment strategy, at Glenmede.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
There's also a new adaptation of Pride and Prejudice written by Dolly Alderton and starring Emma Corrin coming to Netflix.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
In fact I practically lift him over my head and show him the Pride Lands.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Pride and Prejudice stalked in tandem the beautiful hills.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
“When I moved to defensive back in college, I always prided myself on being a great runner, which led to me being a great punt returner.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
This is not the sort of thing you find in works by Austen or even George Eliot, who prided herself on writing the realities of rural life.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
The service became synonymous with something Mumbai prided itself on, that beneath the noise and the rush, some things still worked with unshakeable precision.
From BBC ● May 29, 2026
The agency previously prided itself on the program’s impartiality and, in an effort to protect its science from the influence of industry, purposefully kept the program separate from the agency offices that craft regulation.
From Salon ● May 5, 2026
I seemed to have no control over myself, I who had always prided myself on keeping the deepest parts of me hidden from view.
From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson
Bumble differentiates itself from most dating apps, by priding itself on being a woman-owned, space centered on women who are empowered to make the first move after they swipe right on a potential romantic match.
From Salon ● May 15, 2024
Vietnam’s Communist Party has ruled the country for nearly half a century, often priding itself on unity and longevity.
From New York Times ● Mar. 20, 2024
Having grown up in foster care, Ramona Ison rarely asked for help herself, priding herself on taking care of others in the neighborhood, offering rides for those who needed help getting to and from appointments.
From Scientific American ● Aug. 17, 2023
He said he took the termination hard and, priding himself on a strong work ethic, recalled that during his military career he helped cook for 250,000 Vietnamese refugees at Fort Chaffee in Arkansas.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 3, 2021
And here I had been priding myself all this while upon having played my part so well, above all so unobtrusively.
From A Veldt Vendetta by Bertram Mitford
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
