proud
adjective · noun
Simple meaning
Feeling self-respect or pleasure in something by which you measure your self-worth.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
prowdIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈpɹaʊd
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
Feeling self-respect or pleasure in something by which you measure your self-worth; or being a reason for pride
Feeling honoured (by something); feeling happy or satisfied about an event or fact; gratified.
Generating a sense of pride; being a cause for pride.
Possessed of a due sense of what one deserves or is worth.
Of things
Standing upwards as in the manner of a proud person; stately or majestic.
Standing out or raised; swollen.
noun
A characteristical surname.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Feeling self-respect or pleasure in something by which you measure your self-worth; or being a reason for pride
Used this way, proud is a reasonably familiar word with a mildly favourable edge. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Slightly positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Positive and appreciative
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use proud
- “My parents were very proud when I graduated from college last May.”adjective
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
The swollen tissue around a healing wound or ulcer.
According to legend, the seventh and last Etruscan king of Rome who was expelled for his cruelty (reigned from 534 to 510 BC).
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.